Souvenir shot glasses of MSU's Hail Mary win against Wisconsin. The "experts" all picked Wisconsin, but MSU had another thing to say about that...
Drew Sharp - arguable "expert" definite "idiot":
One way of getting people to stop laughing at you is making them think you might smack that smirk off their face.
The changing perceptions of Michigan State and the Lions are rooted in a common thread: aggression. Bodies are crunched. Lines are blurred. Flags are thrown. Sanctions are levied.
But, more important, old passive reputations are buried.
Do you think the Lions really care if anyone brands Ndamukong Suh a dirty player because he twice almost decapitated a quarterback and once tried tackling former Dallas running back Marion Barber by his dreadlocks?
They love it. Their fans love it. He has brought an identity, a feisty surliness the Lions have long lacked.
The same is true with the Spartans.
They're nasty. They're occasionally vicious.
When I last checked, that's football. If you're willing to accept the 15-yard personal fouls, the fines, the heightened scrutiny and eventual suspensions for the purpose of instilling fear and uncertainty in the hearts and minds of the team lining up across from you, go for it.
Football is a combination of talent and temerity.
This was a very good week for Michigan State, regardless of the outrage over the university's handling of the William Gholston personal-foul controversy. The best thing for the Spartans was that the issue didn't die a quick death with coach Mark Dantonio caving to fan and media discontent and disciplining Gholston before the Big Ten did.
The more the punch was discussed and the perception of dirty play debated nationally, the more the Spartans developed a renegade, Oakland Raideresque personality that could prove attractive when recruiting more athletically aggressive defensive players.
And let's face it. Every action taken is done with an eye toward recruiting.
Consider those hideous Nike Combat jerseys the Spartans wore last week. It was about appealing to that 16-year-old football player somewhere who might never have previously considered Michigan State.
The Spartans' brusque demeanor might offend some, but if it makes opponents apprehensive, then it's the correct tactic for a team tired of being a laughingstock.
THE GREAT BOODINI: After a week of bad handshakes and bad blood, it's good returning to the normalcy of bad predictions. The Mystic One was 1-4 against the point spread last week (22-13 for the season). Looking for a hardy handshake is the all-seeing, all-knowing, famed seer, sage, soothsayer and former Jim Harbaugh etiquette instructor ... The Great Boodini.
Wisconsin (minus-7) at Michigan State: The Big Ten applies the new Denard Robinson Rule as it pertains to the Badgers' mobile QB Russell Wilson. When Wilson is defensively surrounded, play is stopped and a vote is taken among the game officials as to how he should be tackled. Pick -- Wisconsin.
