Michigan State Football: Why Spartans Want to Face Penn State for Big Ten Title

With the Big Ten Leaders division up for grabs, fans of the Michigan State Spartans should root for the Penn State Nittany Lions in college football's Week 13. The Big Ten Championship Game begins in the final week of the regular season when the Nittany Lions travel to face the Wisconsin Badgers.

The winner will meet the Spartans in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 3. Michigan State has already clinched the Legends division and will travel to face the Northwestern Wildcats in their final game.

The Nittany Lions and the Badgers are both 9-2 on the season. At 6-1 in the division, Penn State currently holds a one-game lead over the Badgers. This game will be a no-holds-barred, classic Big Ten battle and the winner will take their talents to Indy with a chance to smell the roses. 

Here are five reasons why Michigan State wants to face Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game rather than Wisconsin. 

No. 5: Penn State Has Trouble Scoring

The Penn State Nittany Lions aren't the best when it comes to putting points on the board. Despite their 9-2 record, the Nittany Lions only average 20.9 points/game.

In fact, Penn State has only scored more than 21 points in four games this season. By comparison, the Wisconsin Badgers have scored 21-plus points in every game this season and average 44.8 points/game.

Penn State relies on their strong defense, but the Michigan State Spartans would rather try to score on the Nittany Lions than defend against the Badgers.    

No. 4: Russell Wilson > Matt McGloin and Robert Bolden Combined

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson is better than Penn State Nittany Lions' quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Robert Bolden combined.

The Nittany Lions have been rotating their quarterbacks all season long, with neither of them emerging as the true No. 1. McGloin has played the last two games in their entirety, but he hasn't shined in the slightest.

McGloin has only thrown for 281 yards and completed 50 percent of his passes in the Nittany Lions' last two games. McGloin also failed to throw a touchdown in that span. Combined with Bolden, the two have 2,000 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions on the season. 

In contrast, Wilson has thrown for 2,506 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. While it's true that McGloin has more yards than Wilson in the last two games, Wilson has completed 86.6 percent of his throws. He also has five touchdowns in those two games. 

There's no doubt that the Spartans would rather face the weak combination of McGloin and Bolden than Wilson and the high-flying Badgers. 

No. 3: Wisconsin's Montee Ball Lives in the End Zone

Wisconsin Badgers' running back Montee Ball has a legitimate case for the Heisman Trophy this season. 

Ball leads the nation with an astounding 30 touchdowns (25 rushing) on the season. Now, I'm no mathematician, but that's nearly three trips to the promised-land per game.

He also has 1,466 yards on the grounds, just two yards behind Western Kentucky's running back Bobby Rainey for tops in all of college football. Ball has 103 fewer attempts than Rainey and averages a whopping 6.6 yards per carry. 

With the Penn State Nittany Lions' defense only allowing 13.0 points/game and Ball scoring at least two touchdowns in every game this season, something has got to give. One has a feeling that Ball will find his way into the end zone. 

The Michigan State Spartans have already fallen victim to Ball this season, allowing the stud to total 139 yards and two touchdowns in their October 22 contest. 

No. 2: Playing Penn State Would Renew the Rivalry for the Land Grant Trophy

Since the Penn State Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993, they've been fighting for the Land Grant Trophy with the Michigan State Spartans. 

With the addition of the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Big Ten and the conference being split into the Leaders and Legends divisions, these teams no longer play an annual game. 

The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten series 13-5, but the Spartans won in 2010, 28-22. Throughout history, Penn State leads the rivalry by a slim 14-13-1 margin. 

Being the first Big Ten Championship Game, it would be fitting for the Nittany Lions and the Spartans to clash once again. 

No. 1: Wisconsin Wants Revenge

The game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans on October 22 brought college football fans one of the most memorable moments of the 2011 season. 

In the last seconds of the game, Michigan State receiver Keith Nichol caught an improbable Hail Mary off of a deflection and just crossed the goal line as time expired to put the Spartans in the win column. This brought the Badgers to defeat, crushing their hopes of an undefeated season. 

To be honest, many people, including myself thought that the Badgers could go undefeated heading into the bowl season. The Badgers would like nothing more than to get revenge on the Spartans in the Big Ten Championship Game. 

Michigan State would like to avoid the Badgers at all cost. This is not to say that Sparty can't beat the Badgers again, but Wisconsin would have plenty of motivation—redemption, revenge and roses. 

Penn State vs. Wisconsin Prediction: Wisconsin 31, Penn State 10