BCS Rankings 2011: Michigan State Makes Mess Out of Big Ten and BCS Races

By hanging onto the Paul Bunyan trophy with a win over No. 11 Michigan, No. 23 Michigan State may well have cost No. 4 Wisconsin a shot at the BCS National Championship.

Saturday's win over the in-state rival Wolverines put the Spartans in the driver's seat in the Legends Division of the Big Ten with a 2-0 mark in conference play. Next up, MSU will welcome the Badgers to East Lansing in a game that Russell Wilson and company should win handily.

That result would keep 'Sconsin on track to represent the Leaders Division in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game without doing too much harm to Sparty's hopes of doing the same. Once the Badgers are out of the way, the Spartans will have but one tough test left on their schedule—a trip to Lincoln to face an up-and-down Nebraska team on Oct. 29. If Mark Dantonio's team beats the Cornhuskers, then it should have a clear path to the Big Ten title game, with a manageable slate against middling conference opponents to close out the regular season.

Assuming Wisconsin holds up its end of the bargain (which it should), the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis would then be decided by two teams that met previously in the season. Another win over Sparty wouldn't exactly strengthen the Badgers' rather weak resume. In fact, it could actually make Bret Bielema's team look worse in the eyes of the BCS computers, as a second win over MSU would devalue the first.

If the Badgers had their way, they'd likely prefer to see Michigan at Lucas Oil Stadium, not because the Wolverines are an easier opponent, but rather because the Badgers wouldn't have faced them previously this season. Therefore, Wisconsin wouldn't be harming itself in the eyes of the almighty BCS by winning the Big Ten title, as the victory would, in this case, come against a fresh opponent.

Confused yet? Essentially, Michigan State helped its own hopes for a Big Ten title and a BCS berth while harming Wisconsin's shot at glory all by a score of 28-14 against Michigan.

Of course, if the Spartans really want to burst the Badgers' bubble, they can knock 'Sconsin out of the national title race entirely with a win at Spartan Stadium next weekend.