Tables Have Turned for Michigan State

[FanGuru]

Iowa finished their regular season unscathed and are headed to the B1G Championship game against Michigan State. The Hawkeyes should be the media darling and a Cinderella team for college football. Instead, they are the ugly and boring stepmother.

Accept it, and embrace this moment. It could be a long time before Iowa finds themselves in this situation again. Michigan State is no stranger to being the underdog in big games and this saturday, the tables will turn. Yes, Iowa is currently ranked ahead of MSU but lets get real, the public will be all over MSU. Iowa should head into Indianapolis right around a 4 point underdog. Let's take a look at some recent history for Michigan State and how that's has faired:

2013 B1G Championship game-



Spread- OSU (-5.5)

Result- MSU 34 OSU 24

2014 Rose Bowl-



Spread- Stanford (-6 1/2)

Result- MSU 24 Stanford 20

2015 Cotton Bowl-



Spread- Baylor (-2.5)

Result- MSU 42 Baylor 41

What this says? Michigan State has handled the pressure of being the underdog well enough to win all 3 of those games. They are not used to being the "sexy" pick amongst the nation. It also tells me that MSU is very tough in big games and this is going to be a difficult task. Why not Iowa? This is a very winnable game, and they need to look at what MSU has done to become nationally respected. It starts with winning games you aren't supposed to win.

What are your major factors for Michigan State's success as the underdog? What can this do for Iowa as a program?

 

[lovedwatchingLester]

Would love it if we laid 40+ on MSU

 

[FanGuru]

I like our chances of winning, if that's the case!

 

[GunnerHawk]

Nobody is going to lay 40 on MSU, their defense is very tough. I hope this is a close one and we win at the end.

I am concerned after the thrashing the Spartans put on Penn State last weekend. Connor Cook is a heck of a QB and their O-line is finally healthy. They will score points against our defense.

We need our running game to control the game. Keep MSU's offense off the field.

 

[hoffmkr]

I'll Settle for 39 Pts on Michigan State

http://www.freep.com/picture-galler...11/07/nebraska-39-michigan-state-38/75397580/

Iowa plays better defense than that as well.

 

[cg8284]

Nobody is going to lay 40 on MSU, their defense is very tough. I hope this is a close one and we win at the end.

I am concerned after the thrashing the Spartans put on Penn State last weekend. Connor Cook is a heck of a QB and their O-line is finally healthy. They will score points against our defense.

We need our running game to control the game. Keep MSU's offense off the field.

I'm not saying Iowa will put up 40 but there is no reason they can't. This is not a typical MSU defense, they're pretty week in the secondary. Iowa may need to score a bunch to win if Cook is playing well. I think they will be able to if needed.

 

[CaptainBB]

Would love it if we laid 40+ on MSU

Iowa was crushing MSU 37-0 after 3 quarters in 2010 and couldn't even get to 40. Scrubs were in by then though so I'll let it slide.

 

[FlintTown]

The Stanford spread was ridiculous. Everyone knew MSU was the better team and would beat them 8 out of 10 times. In fairness, 2013 MSU would have beaten everyone 8 out of 10 times. Hands down the best team in the country. Too bad south bend officals had to steal it from them.