Going downtown

I'm going to be spending most of the day downtown before heading in for the game.

Follow me on Twitter, as I'll try to tweet pictures and describe what's going on. Here is my updated list on expert picks for the game.

I'll leave you with this, and be back after the game.

Notebook: MSU-Wisconsin becoming a border rivalry

By CHRIS VANNINI

Special to The Oakland Press

EAST LANSING — There are several college rivalries that revolve around a border.

Michigan and Ohio share a border, adding intensity to their rivalry. Kansas and Missouri have played in “The Border War” for more than 100 years.

There may be a new border rivalry brewing in college football: Michigan State and Wisconsin. Yes, they share a border in the Upper Peninsula. Don't tell Tom Izzo it doesn't count.

“When I think about teams other than Michigan State that are big, power teams, I look at Wisconsin, offensive guard Chris McDonald said. “Being an offensive lineman, you always (believe) it’s on us It’s on our shoulders. … I do feel like it has become a rivalry because we’re both power teams and powerhouses going at it head to head.”

The average margin of victory in the past five meetings is 5.6 points, with MSU winning three of those five. There have been tight finishes as well, with the Spartans winning on a last-second field goal in 2008 and a Hail Mary earlier this season.

In 1993, Wisconsin won its first Big Ten title in 30 years with a victory over MSU — in Japan. In 2004, MSU ended No. 4 Wisconsin’s national title hopes with a 49-14 blowout victory in East Lansing.

Now they will add another chapter with the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game this Saturday (8:17 p.m., FOX).

When head coach Mark Dantonio took the reins at MSU, he wanted to model his program after Wisconsin and Iowa. Both programs are based on toughness and have deal with not being one of the big boys of the conference (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska).

But while the conference is home to some of the winningest programs of all-time, MSU and Wisconsin have built solid programs of their own and will be on display Saturday.

“Clearly this is a new era of football in this conference with the addition of Nebraska and formation of the different divisions,” Dantonio said. “So clearly it's a new era and clearly this year and 2011, Michigan State and Wisconsin are the two best teams in this conference. That is without question, I believe.”

MSU and Wisconsin reached the championship game because they were the toughest teams, the pillar upon which the programs have grown.

--Heavy underdogs

The MSU-Wisconsin matchups have guaranteed a close finish in recent years, but that may not be expected this time around, as the Badgers are as much as a 10-point favorite.

The Spartans are used to being the underdogs. Many key contributors of this team weren’t highly recruited and the Spartans weren’t picked by many to win the Legends division, or the previous matchup with the Badgers.

While the chance of playing in the Rose Bowl provides all the motivation necessary, the fact that everyone is picking Wisconsin to win gives the Spartans a little more of a chip on their shoulders.

“It's not all bad. We're the little guy,” Dantonio said. “Everybody wants the little guy to win, so have a couple more people sitting on the fence maybe sway our way and make a little noise.”

--Avoiding the weather

Snow has arrived in Michigan, but the weather won’t be a factor this Saturday, as the Big Ten title game will be played in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The indoor stadium and its turf will provide a boost to faster players, which could help MSU, as speedy wide receiver Keshawn Martin scored two touchdowns in the previous meeting with Wisconsin.

Martin has played two games in a domed stadium for MSU, the 2009 Alamo Bowl against Texas Tech and a regular season game at Ford Field against Florida Atlantic last year. In those two games, Martin has six catches for 139 yards, a 47-yard punt return and a 46-yard kick return

“I always like playing on turf,” Martin said. “It just gives me that extra boost. It feels like I’m flying out there. I’m definitely excited to play on turf and in a dome.”

Cousins a finalist for 2011 Silver Football

The Chicago Tribune Silver Football has been awarded to the best player in the Big Ten annually since 1924.

This year's three finalists all will be playing Saturday, as Kirk Cousins has been named one of three finalists, along with Wisconsin's Montee Ball and Russell Wilson. Cousins obviously is the longshot.

The award is voted on by the coaches with a two-player ballot. Coaches cannot vote for their own player.

Here is the story from the Tribune.

A collection of experts' picks for BTFCG

It's not a secret that Wisconsin is a heavy favorite in this game, so let's take a look at what some of the college football experts are picking.

**I'll update this as I find more. Tweet me if you find one I missed (with evidence).

CBS Sports: Dennis Dodd: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Bruce Feldman: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Brett McMurphy: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Tom Fornelli: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Jerry Hinnen: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Adam Jacobi: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Chip Patterson: Wisconsin

CBS Sports: Spencer Tillman: Wisconsin

ESPN: Adam Rittenberg: Wisconsin

ESPN: Brian Bennett: MSU

ESPN: Robert Smith: Wisconsin

ESPN: Todd McShay: Wisconsin

ESPN: Skip Bayless: Wisconsin

ESPN: Desmond Howard: Wisconsin

ESPN: Kirk Herbstreit: Wisconsin

ESPN: Lee Corso: Wisconsin

Rivals: Mike Huguenin: Wisconsin

Rivals: Gerry Ahern: Wisconsin

Athlon: Mitch Light: Wisconsin

Sports Illustrated: Stewart Mandel: Wisconsin

USA Today: Erick Smith: Wisconsin

Phil Steele: MSU

BTN: Chris Martin: MSU

BTN: Tim Doyle: MSU

Scout: Pete Fiutak: Wisconsin

Freep: Drew Sharp: Wisconsin

Sporting News: Steve Greenberg: Wisconsin

LSJ: Joe Rexrode: MSU

Gov. Snyder declares Friday as 'MSU Green Day.'

With MSU playing in the Big Ten Championship this weekend, the state is honoring the Spartans.

Here's the release from MSU:


EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has declared Friday, Dec. 2, as “MSU Green Day,” honoring the Michigan State University football team that will play in the inaugural Big Ten champion game Saturday in Indianapolis.

In addition, State Rep. Mark Meadows, an East Lansing Democrat, sponsored a special tribute to the Spartans which was signed by all legislators who represent Ingham County.

In issuing his proclamation, the governor noted the Spartan football team had experienced “tremendous success in recent years, leading the Big Ten Conference in wins over the last two seasons and is now competing for back-to-back conference championships.”

He also noted that the current senior class was now the winningest class in the 115 years of Spartan football.

In addition, all Michiganders are being urged to wear green on Friday in support of the Spartans, who will represent the Big Ten’s Legends Division in the championship game against the Leaders Division champion Wisconsin.

Also on Friday the Sparty statue will be decked out in Spartan green, wearing a football jersey with the number one on the back.

--

All Michiganders wear green? Good luck with that. It should be noted that Snyder is a U-M grad. Still, cool to see.

Cousins named finalist for Manning Award

The headline says it all. Good luck to Kirk — he's going to need it, as the list also includes Matt Barkley, Robert Griffin III, Landry Jones, Case Keenum, Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden, Russell Wilson and Tyler Wilson.

The bowl does take bowl performance into account. Here is the full release.

Spartans excited to make history in first championship game

As Chris McDonald put it, the players and people involved in this game will be able to tell their kids and grandkids that they were a part of history in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game.

Here is my story on the players' excitement for being in the first title game. 

Big Ten says title game seat-filling is bogus

This morning, a Craigslist ad made the rounds online saying someone was looking for people to be in downtown Indy on Saturday night wearing red or dark green, to expect large crowds and noise and get paid $75. Hmm, sounds an awful like the Big Ten Football Championship Game.

Well, the Big Ten quickly tried to get the word out and say it was a hoax, but that's not going to stop the nation from making fun of the Big Ten. Mark Hollis apparently is quite upset about this, as he spoke to a class about it this morning.

If you remember, the game sold out in two hours in July and MSU quickly sold its allotment. As of this morning, Wisconsin had about 2,000 tickets left. Badger fans haven't been quick to pick up tickets, waiting instead for the expected Rose Bowl trip.

While this seat-filling issue is a PR nightmare, I do believe it's a farce. However, what is not a scam is that there are a ton of RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP tickets on StubHub. MSU got the head start and it looks like there should be more green than red at Lucas-Oil Stadium. But given the apparent apathy from Wisconsin fans regarding this game, it seems it wouldn't be hard for MSU to take over the stadium.

We'll see what happens. I expect the stadium to be at least 90-percent full and I'm just glad I got my tickets for free as a gift. If this seat-filling thing was real, it obviously would end with Kramer accepting the Stagg Trophy after the game.

Notes and video from Dantonio presser 11/29

When Mark Dantonio talks longer than Tom Izzo, you know it's a big week.

The first Big Ten Football Championship Game had Dantonio a little fired up at his press conference. So much so that when he was asked about Urban Meyer, he he put his hand up and said MSU is focused on its goals ahead.

--Dantonio reiterated that MSU and Wisconsin were the two best teams in the conference, and I'm sure everyone can agree.

--Asked about being as much as a 10-point underdog, Dantonio said it could persuade neutral fans to root for MSU. "That's not all bad. We're the little guy. Everyone wants the little guy to win."

--Along those lines, Dantonio reminded everyone that in-between Wisconsin's quick start and late comeback, MSU went on a 31-3 run in the previous meeting, dominating the middle stages of that game.

--As for any changes in preparation, the only thing Dantonio said was that they would turn up the heat in the Duffy indoor practice field to prepare for Lucas Oil Stadium. I'm sure the players will enjoy that.

--Dantonio said a conference championship is the best way to determine a champion, even though MSU would have won the Rose Bowl berth this year in the old system.

--Asked again if he's ever played a team twice in one year, Dantonio said the last time he recalled doing that was in eighth grade, when they played every team twice.

--Since the day Dantonio was introduced as head coach, he and athletics director Mark Hollis have not hidden their desire to go to a Rose Bowl. They're not afraid to talk about their goals because, "If you want to dream big, you have to talk about it."

--Izzo spoke after and had some football-related things. Among them, he said the Izzone needs to ratch it up a notch and said he the football team deserves a completely full student section. "The tickets are sold, they just gotta go."

--Izzo said some magical things have happened in Lucas Oil Stadium, including two wins in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and an appearance in the 2010 Final Four (even though it was a loss), and hopes the football team can get the same thing. Indianapolis also is where Izzo won the 2000 National Championship (at the RCA Dome).

--Izzo wishes he could go to Saturday's game (hoops plays on Sunday), but is glad he can still watch it. He's always been a football guy. He talked with Tubby Smith recently and when Smith said MSU had things going in football and basketball, Izzo loved hearing that.

Spartans honored on all-conference teams

No individual awards for MSU, but plenty on the all-conference offenses and defenses by both the coaches and media:

First-team offense: Joel Foreman (both)

First-team defense: Jerel Worthy (both), Johnny Adams (coaches), Trenton Robinson (media)

Second-team offense: B.J. Cunningham (both), Kirk Cousins (coaches), Brian Linthicum (coaches)

Second-team defense: William Gholston (both), Isaiah Lewis (both), Max Bullough (coaches), Denicos Allen (media), Johnny Adams (media)

Honorable mention (coaches): Denicos Allen, Le’Veon Bell, Keshawn Martin, Trenton Robinson, Marcus Rush

Honorable mention (media): Le’Veon Bell, Max Bullough, Dan Conroy, Kirk Cousins, Darqueze Dennard, Brian Linthicum, Chris McDonald, Chris Norman, Kevin Pickelman, Marcus Rush

Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (MSU): Kirk Cousins (duh)

--

Not many surprises. In most years, Cunningham would be first-team, but Marvin McNutt and A.J. Jenkins have had spectacular years. After last year, it seemed Cousins would be poised to be first-team, but the arrival of Russell Wilson and his record-breaking efficiency changed that.

Looking at the list, every single player on MSU's defense received some sort of honor. That's pretty incredible. There is a lot of young talent there, as well. Seven players honored are sophomores or freshmen, six of them on defense. The defense only loses two starters to graduation, with junior Jerel Worthy's future uncertain. The future is bright for Pat Narduzzi (or whoever takes over the defense).