I haven’t had much time to sit down and write posts this week. I have am playing a little bit of catchup at work, and playing a little bit of catchup on my sleep at home. I am so looking forward to Saturday morning and having nowhere to be. Also look forward to sitting down and watching an entire day of college football, something I missed last weekend.

Being at my sister’s wedding, I obviously wasn’t able to give immediate reaction to what happened in East Lansing last Saturday. Unfortunately, the strange timing of when to be at the church for pictures and the start of the ceremony basically meant I had zero opportunity to listen or watch any of the game. I had Miz, Trey, and Patphish feeding me updates via text all afternoon. Mikey even chimed in with the score a couple times for me. Because every other groomsmen was too chickenshit to look at their phone, fearing the wrath of my sibling, I became the go to guy with what was going on.

With a about 10 mins to go in the ceremony, I received a text that it was 20-6 Michigan State, things were under control. Then not even a couple minutes later I get Miz’s text that Forcier threw a 60 yard TD, 20-13 MSU. It was at that point that I knew it was going to OT. I have been a Spartan fan long enough to know that it was inevitable. I have seen this way to often to not get that feeling of impending doom. Michigan was marching down the field as soon as the dismissal happened, and I ran to the backroom and called Patphish to give me the play-by-play. I actually happened to call him just a second before Michigan snapped the ball. Patphish had the most disgusted TD call I have ever heard. I could just tell he was disgusted by MSU letting Michigan get such a wide open pass. I had to hangup with him because it was time for more picture taking.

At this point I was refreshing my web browser on my phone at the sametime of receiving texts about the OT. Basically, I was very impatient. I was also trying to get my son to behave for the pictures he was in. Let me tell you, trying to get a 3 year old to stand still and smile after making him sit for an hour is not the easiest thing in the world. I was also incredibly annoyed that this game had gone to friggin OT. I was more on edge than sister, the bride. Then in the middle of saying cheese I felt my pants vibrate. I quickly reached for my phone and saw Patphish’s, Trey’s, and Miz’s texts that MSU intercepted Forcier in the end zone. I yelled out “PICKED OFF!” in the middle of the church. It was then that I was waiting for the score to change on the gamecast to 23-20, but instead I see it become 26-20. A huge fist pump from me, and some major trash talking towards my oldest brother, you know him as Ben. Ya know, the orthopedic surgeon? Dude, went to Michigan, so he can suck it.

Needless to say, this put me into a great mood for the entire evening and festivities. Ironically enough, I was able to meet a former member of the Michigan State football team at the reception. My new brother-in-law has an uncle that was a member of the 1952 National Title team that was coached by Biggie Munn. We reveled in the victory together. We talked about how Rich Rodriguez was the best thing to happen to Michigan State. Not because we have beaten him the last two years, but because his recruiting outside of the region. It has allowed Michigan State to become more competitive with guys in state and even into Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. We talked about how there were several big time recruits at this game, and that a victory and couch burning ceremony could do nothing but help make their decision to attend Michigan State.

Things are a changing in this matchup. No, I am not saying that Michigan State has turned the tide and will dominate this instate rivalry. But I believe that it will be much more even over the next several years. I see both coaches sticking around for sometime, and this game will get bigger and bigger. Michigan fans want to fluff it off as if it doesn’t really matter to them, only the Ohio State rivalry does, but they love using that “Little Brother” line that Mike Hart used 3 games ago, the last time Michigan beat MSU. It eats each of them up that they lost to the Spartans. Undergrads hate it more than anyone. When they head home for Thanksgiving and meet up at places like Dick O’ Dows in Birmingham, MI, they are going to have to face their friends from high school that ended up going to MSU. They are going to get ripped on for losing to the Spartans for the 2nd time in a row for the first time in 42 years. That in itself tells you that it isn’t the same anymore. That had not happened since before Bo Schembechler became coach at Michigan. Basically, the era is now completely and utterly over.

For the next year, Sparty Nation has bragging rights. We have the right to call out Michigan for every single shortcoming that they have. We get to laugh about how Tate Forcier is the single biggest douchebag east of Lake Michigan. We get to make fun of how pathetic of a running game that they trot out to the field. We get to rub it in their faces that a true freshman ran through their defense for the winning score Oct 3rd, 2009. Unfortunately, Central Michigan gets to brag that they are the best team in the state.

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