College Football Week Nine: What We've Learned

"I find a lot of the things they do amusing. They need to check themselves sometimes. Let's just remember that pride comes before the fall." -Mark Dantonio, Michigan State head coach, after losing to the University of Michigan during the 2007 season.

Regular readers of this column will know what the lead story is going to be this week even before they read it. There have been plenty of articles on Bleacher Report in the last few days filled with smack talk ahead of the rivalry match between Michigan and Michigan State. Each side got their punches in, but we had to wait until Saturday to find out who would hold the Paul Bunyan Trophy until next year.

Since I've spent my entire week with an almost singular focus on that rivalry, this week's column will have a definite Big Ten tone to it.

Reports of Michigan State's demise were greatly exaggerated

Just for the record, I'm trying my hardest to be objective in this section. Trying.

After the Ohio State debacle last week, I heard plenty of people, fans and media alike, claiming that Michigan State was headed for another late-season letdown. The Spartans were expected to collapse like a flan in a cupboard and coast to another disappointing finish. Those people would be wrong.

Can we all please realize that Mark Dantonio is a good coach? John L. Smith is gone, and he took the late-season disappointments with him. They say a team is a reflection of their coach, and Mark Dantonio has instilled a sense of mental toughness in his Spartans that wasn't their under John L.'s reign of terror.

The Michigan game was definitely a trap game. A 6-2 Spartans team with a lot of confidence was going into Ann Arbor to face a bad Michigan team a week after being blown out by Ohio State. Add in the rivalry factor, and it wouldn't have mattered if Michigan State was 8-0 and on top of the BCS standings. This was still going to be a tough game for the Spartans.

It was a trap game, and it was also a program game. Lose and MSU would have likely developed a futility complex to rival that of the Chicago Cubs. Win and MSU gains the confidence to compete in the Big Ten every season. It doesn't matter that this is a down year for Michigan, you still need to beat your rivals to be considered a successful program.

MSU walked out of Ann Arbor with a big win, thanks to some key plays. On offense, Brian Hoyer had a big day thanks to a new play in which Blair White runs to an area that isn't anywhere near a defender, makes a catch, and runs 50-60 yards. Javon Ringer was also held in check for the first 28 minutes of play until the Michigan defensive line began to get tired. Ringer broke a 64-yard touchdown towards the end of the first half and routinely picked up between seven and ten yards on his carries late in the game.

Ringer didn't run himself back into the Heisman discussion, but he has to be the front-runner for the Doak Walker award after a performance like that.

This victory serves two purposes for the Spartans. First and most importantly, it sets the tone for the rest of their season. Remember, in Dantonio's first season MSU had a small losing streak going before they were able to win their last two games and make it to a bowl. By immediately bouncing back after a tough loss, MSU puts themselves on track for what will likely be a 9-3 finish. In case there's any doubt, I predicted this immediately after the Ohio State game.

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