Big Ten Conference Championship Schedule and Preview: Michigan State Spartans

Along with Wisconsin, Michigan State has been in the game three times and will have the chance to win the trophy twice in three years.

Ticketmaster, the official outlet for tickets to the game, listed no tickets available to the Big Ten Football Championship game. Ohio State, the defending national champion, lost to Michigan State this year. Well, that could be argued since they seem to have the three most impressive victories in the country.

If Cook and the Michigan State offense can have success against Iowa’s secondary and grab an early lead, the pressure will be on Beathard and an Iowa offense that lacks in big-play scoring.

All those buzzwords that have been attached to the Big Ten football long before Kirk Ferentz arrived at Iowa in 1999 or Mark Dantonio at Michigan State in 2007. “We’ll do what we do”. “I think C.J. Beathard makes plays, makes good decisions, obviously hasnt thrown (many) interceptions.”. “We have to be at our best, but that is what we’ve tried to be about all season”. The Spartans also allow just over 21 points per game. Michigan State has wins this season over Western Michigan, Oregon, Air Force, Central Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers, Michigan, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State.

Both Iowa and Michigan State fans from our area are pumped.

“I think Arjen Colquhoun is playing very, very well”, Dantonio said. Now we’ve made it to this game and really all that counts is what happens tomorrow night.

The Spartans (11-1) held their 90-minute, get-acclimated practice session, giving the media a 15-minute glimpse into their workout for the first time since preseason camp in August. “We’ve been in that environment”. Ferentz moved practices to the mornings, hoping to keep his players fresh. “That can only help us”. It’s a game that will be won on the strength of the interior lines on both sides. Since that first conference game of the 2013 season vs. Iowa, Cook has won 22 of 24 Big Ten games and 31 of 34 overall.

“I don’t think that will be happening, ” Blythe said. His 33 wins as a starter are the most in school history, as are his 71 touchdown passes. That’s because the teams aren’t that different.

“We know with the Playoff lingering and the opportunity to go there, the motivation is going to be the same as 2013”, linebacker Darien Harris said.

But he did make one thing clear – MSU will always be the underdog in college football. MSU quarterback Connor Cook will sit back and find some plays downfield.

“So in theory, that’s what we’re trying to do, too”. “But from what I can tell, there’s still not a lot of it there”.

The News 8 Sports team will be live in Indianapolis, covering the Hawkeyes’ run for the Big 10 title, starting Friday, December 4. The Spartans could also rely on the running prowess of backs LJ Scott, Madre London, and Gerald Holmes though Iowa’s run defense is a harder nut to crack.

Michigan State has become a regular participant in the title game and this is their third trip to Indianapolis in five years. “That’s one of the reasons we’ve had a good season”. Last season, the Spartans went 2-1-1 against the Nittany Lions including a shootout victory.

Michigan State and Iowa are mirror images and will look to reach the College Football Playoff with similar attacks.