So, an unranked Michigan State upset No. 8 Penn State and knocked the Nittany Lions out of the College Football Playoff hunt. While the result was surprising, what with it being at Penn State and the Nittany Lions thought to be the better team and all, that Michigan State knocked off an apparently superior team isn’t surprising at all.
All 12 times Mark Dantonio’s Michigan State ruined a higher-ranked team’s day
This is just what Michigan State does. Sorry, Penn State.
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
After all, this is what Michigan State does under Mark Dantonio. The Spartans recruit three-star Midwesterners who weren’t properly appreciated by Ohio State or Michigan, feed them a steady diet of protein powder and DISRESPECKT, and then beat better teams.
Since 2009, Dantonio’s third season, the Spartans have beaten teams with a superior AP Poll ranking a whopping 11 times. Let’s remember them here, moving backwards from now.
2018
MSU 21, No. 8 Penn State 17. The Spartans rallied for the go-ahead touchdown, driving from their own 24 with only 1:19 left and scoring with seconds to play.
2017
MSU 14, No. 7 Michigan 10. Michigan turned the ball over five times and couldn’t climb back after holding the Spartans scoreless in the second half (and to 252 total yards).
No. 24 MSU 27, No. 7 Penn State 24. Smarting after an upset loss to Northwestern the week before in three overtimes, the Spartans came back in the fourth quarter to upset PSU after a three-and-a-half-hour weather delay.
2015
No. 9 MSU 17, No. 2 Ohio State 14. Speaking of inclement weather, the Spartans knocked off the defending champs and winners of 23 straight on a last-second field goal. Urban Meyer apparently forgot Ezekiel Elliott was on his team, and the running back aired his anger to the media afterward. I’m still mad about this game. Let’s move on.
No. 5 MSU 16, No. 4 Iowa 13. Lol, remember when Iowa was ranked fourth in the country? LJ Scott plunged into the end zone with under 30 seconds left to clinch a win in a sloppy Big Ten Championship Game. Michigan State would then make its trip to the College Football Playoff. We won’t talk about what happened next.
2014
No. 7 MSU 42, No. 4 Baylor 41. Many analysts thought Baylor should have been in the College Football Playoff instead of the Cotton Bowl. A furious 21-point comeback helped the Spartans spring the memorable upset instead of the Bears bolstering their case.
2013
No. 24 MSU 29, No. 23 Michigan 6. Michigan mustered only 168 total yards, rushing for a whopping negative-48 (sort of). The Wolverines were fortunate to get 6 points.
No. 10 MSU 34, No. 2 Ohio State 24. Michigan State won its first Big Ten title game, thanks to a huge fourth quarter and multiple clutch throws from Connor Cook. Urban Meyer forgot Carlos Hyde played for his team. I’m not mad about this one, either. Actually, I think it’s funny.
2011
No. 23 MSU 28, No. 11 Michigan 14. Michigan State bottled up Denard Robinson, and the Wolverines recorded 82 rushing yards out of their 250 total yards.
No. 15 MSU 37, No. 4 Wisconsin 31. Keith Nichol caught a 44-yard Hail Mary from Kirk Cousins as time expired, saddening the Badgers.
2010
No. 24 MSU 34, No. 11 Wisconsin 24. Michigan State overcame a minus-three turnover margin to knock off Wisconsin, thanks to a big game from Cousins. This year also included a 17th-ranked MSU winning at No. 18 Michigan as a 5-point underdog.
2009
MSU 26, No. 22 Michigan 20. The Spartans announced themselves to the world with a huge overtime win over their hated rivals, whom they held to 28 yards rushing.
And this isn’t even a fully exhaustive list!
This is just going by times when Michigan State beat a team with a higher AP ranking, so it doesn’t include memorable games like the Heart Attack Game, when the Spartans knocked off Notre Dame or their 2015 win over Michigan thanks to a walk-off blocked punt.
Basically, it doesn’t matter if the Spartans are good.
They’re going to make life hell for some big name team at least once a season.
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