After an incredible finish against Iowa, the Michigan State Spartans are your Big Ten Champions. More importantly, they’re headed to the College Football Playoff.
Michigan State’s Big Ten title win sends Spartans to the College Football Playoff
Michigan State won the Big Ten title and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff with a 16-13 win over Iowa Saturday night.
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
The No. 5 Spartans defeated No. 4 Iowa in the Big Ten title game Saturday night, 16-13. That win pushed Mark Dantonio’s team to 12-1 on the season and clinched a spot in one of the biggest games the FBS has to offer. Now, their conference trophy will double as their entry ticket to the bracket alongside the three best teams in the nation.
That invitation will be another validation of Dantonio’s work as a head coach. He has guided the Spartans to five 11+ win seasons in the past six years and three New Year’s Day bowl games. With two more victories, he can lay claim to the greatest accomplishment in college football -- a national championship.
Michigan State was led by senior quarterback Connor Cook, who passed for 2,730 yards and a sparkling 24:4 touchdown:interception ratio in 2015. However, his team won their biggest game of the regular season without him. Cook was sidelined by an injured shoulder in advance of MSU’s showdown at No. 3 Ohio State, but the Spartan defense - and backup Tyler O’Connor rose up to lift this team to a huge victory and a path to the Big Ten East title.
How’d they get here?
Michigan State suffered through all the dramatic swings that come standard with a Mark Dantonio season in East Lansing. The Spartans made sure that fans got their money’s worth in 2015; five of their 12 regular season games were decided by four points or less. A sixth gave only seven points of breathing room at the final whistle. In all, nine of MSU’s 12 wins came over bowl eligible teams - Western Michigan, Oregon, Air Force, Central Michigan, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, and Iowa. Here are some of the highlights of their run to football’s final four:
- Michigan State 31, No. 7 Oregon 28. The Spartans survived their first true test of the season by outlasting Oregon at home. A third down sack late in the fourth quarter pushed the Ducks out of field goal range in a 31-28 win. That set the tone for clutch performances from both Connor Cook and the Michigan State defense.
- Michigan State 27, No. 12 Michigan 23. 10,000 words can't even do it justice. Just watch...unless you're a Wolverine fan.
- Nebraska 39, Michigan State 38. Brandon Reilly caught a touchdown pass that put the Cornhuskers ahead with 17 seconds left in the game, but only after running out of bounds first. Was he pushed out, which is legal, or did he go out on his own, which is not? The referees chose the former. Plaxico Burress did not concur.
- Michigan State 17, No. 3 Ohio State 14. The Spartans won, despite Ezekiel Elliott's protests, thanks to a defensive effort that held the Buckeyes to more than three touchdowns under their season scoring average. Michael Geiger answered the call of greatness, blasting a 41-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to secure a road win in Columbus.
- Michigan State 16, No. 4 Iowa 13. Michigan State couldn't get into the end zone until it mattered the most. The Spartans' offense struggled for most of the game, until freshman running back L.J. Scott stepped up in the final drive to seal the game with a touchdown for MSU. The defense was stellar all game, particularly in the second half — save for a long Iowa touchdown pass — and overcame two field goal misses to win a close one.
What happens next?
After waking up Saturday morning on the outside looking in, the Spartans have all but sealed up a berth in the College Football Playoff. The question now is whether or not they’ll be able to leapfrog No. 3 Oklahoma and avoid a New Year’s Day showdown with the nation’s top team. Like Michigan State, the Sooners also have one loss to a bad opponent on their resume (for MSU, it was Nebraska. For OU, Texas). Will Sparty’s quality wins over No. 16 Oregon, No. 15 Michigan, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 4 Iowa be valued higher than Oklahoma’s victories against No. 25 Tennessee, No 12 Baylor, No. 11 TCU, and No. 17 Oklahoma State? Only the selection committee can answer that question.
No matter what team they face, Michigan State is going to have a huge challenge on New Year’s Day. Clemson and Alabama have both rolled through their 2015 seasons with few complications. Connor Cook will have to either figure out the FBS’s No. 2 defense (Alabama) or its No. 7 defense (Clemson). Clemson is especially proficient in shutting down opponents’ aerial attacks - they’ve allowed only 160 passing yards per game during the regular season. Alabama is similarly talented when it comes to stuffing the run - opponents, including star tailbacks like Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb, gained under 80 rushing yards per game against the Tide this fall.
Now, all the Spartans can do is sit back and wait for the committee to pick their poison for them.
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