Red meat Monday: Michigan State, 12-0

This one is way to good to let be. College Football Poll, a computers-only rankings site about as accurate as Phil Steele, is calling for Michigan State to not only win the Big Ten this season, but run the table doing it! Surely, this will get those Green and White crazies all ginned up. I know I would be.

That's right Steroid Sparty, one of the best college football prediction factories says that your guys in green are going undefeated. Looking at the overall Big Ten predicted order of finish, though, would tell us that this potential 12-0 finish is mostly due to the Spartans missing out on Ohio State, and hosting Penn State in 2009.

I'm not saying that I believe for one second Michigan State will finish 12-0 (see: Purdue 2005), but for all CFP's misses, there have been just as many hits. I encourage you to go and look through the past picks for a bunch of teams, and you'll see that they're just as good as any human's picks, even Phil Steele.

More below the fold...

A message from Buckeye Battle Cry

Jeff over at the BBC has been a gracious opposing fan. He's smart. You see, Jeff understands that if Penn State is the Big Ten's only chance to redeem itself in the BCS national championship game, then the entire conference must rally behind the Lions.

From Jeff, yes, an Ohio State Buckeyes fan:

Dear Zombie Nation fans (and all fans of Penn State);

Last weekend's game was amazing. Going into the game, I knew it would be a battle. Hell, I knew that going into the SEASON, but I didn't expect the Lions to be this formidable of an opponent.

One play separated the Buckeyes from victory, and that one play went your way because you made it happen. Terrelle Pryor was stripped of the ball by an outstanding play, and the Nittany Lions sprinted to the loose ball and drove the field for the game-winning score.

We were not "robbed", we were not cheated, and neither team should ever hang their head after a game like that. Both teams played incredibly. But those types of games come down to one play, and when that play occurred, Penn State outhustled the Buckeyes and came away with the victory.

Our most sincere congratulations go out to you.

The Buckeye Battle Cry, like most Ohio State fans who are wise in the ways of football, holds no ill will to our brothers from the east. We wish you the best as the eventual new champions of the Big Ten.

To you, we say "GO GET 'EM".

Go take care of business in Iowa, then come home and beat the daylights out of Indiana and Michigan State. Get that 12-0, and get your asses into the BCS National Championship game!

And when you take that field in the title game, Buckeye fans will stand proudly by your side as you bring that trophy back to our conference where it belongs.

Last Saturday, we may have been enemies. But as you venture forward to represent the Big Ten, I proudly say "WE ARE....PENN STATE"!

Bring it home, guys. We're with you.

Jeff
The BBC

More below the fold...