Michigan State Football: Why the Spartans Will Win the Big Ten

Michigan State is firmly in control of their destiny, which will include a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. 

The Spartans have been impressive in beating Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin in successive weeks. They are the only team in the Legends division that is undefeated in conference play. 

Nebraska has not taken the conference by storm as anticipated. The Huskers, Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes have benefited from fairly light schedules, so their actual worth is still a mystery. None of these teams have demonstrated any real strength yet and Michigan State has already beaten Michigan. 

The following slides will support the contention that the Spartans will finish the season as champions.

The Schedule Only Offers Two Challenges

Michigan State's remaining schedule does not provide too much resistance as the Spartans make their push for the division title.

Their toughest challenge comes next week when they travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. As hinted in the prior slide, Nebraska has yet to impress and was completely dismantled by the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will provide the only other competition when they host the Spartans in a few weeks. MSU will be looking to avenge their only loss from last season and that should motivate them enough to not come out flat like they did in their prior visit to Iowa City.

Other than these two, the Spartans face off against the Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern.

None of the teams left on the schedule are superior to the Michigan State as it appears they have already passed through the hardest portion of their schedule.

Kirk Cousins Is Firing on All Cylinders

Kirk Cousins has had a solid if not unspectacular career at Michigan State. He led his squad to 11 wins and a share of the Big Ten title last year. Yet, it always seemed like his resume was missing that game where he seized the moment and put the team on his back.

Cousins no longer will bear that stigma since he used Saturday night for his personal coming out party. The senior signal caller racked up 290 yards and three touchdowns, including the Hail Mary to Keith Nichol on the last play of the game.

If Cousins can use this game as a springboard for the rest of the season, the Spartans should be able to match yesterday's performance if they meet Wisconsin again in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Mark Dantonio Should Run for Mayor of East Lansing

Mark Dantonio is probably the second most popular person on campus these days. The only man ahead of him on the East Lansing celebrity depth chart is Tom Izzo, but the football coach is gaining ground. 

He has won two-thirds of the games he has coached at Michigan State and has brought stability to a position that desperately needed it. His players seem to fall in line behind him because he has their backs.

Coach Dantonio is pushing all the right buttons and will keep them focused for the rest of the season.

Michigan State Has Had Its Defining Moment

Every season has a defining moment and Keith Nichol hauling in the Hail Mary on the final play to pull out the six-point victory over the Wisconsin Badgers is this year's. 

Last year's edition was the fake field goal to beat Notre Dame. The players took away a lot of confidence because their coach believed in them as, evidenced by the play call. The win propelled them to the best season in recent Michigan State history. 

This time, the players have renewed that confidence by doing the nearly impossible and that attitude will be a major factor during their championship run.