If ever a football team could be described by literature, it’s the Michigan State Spartans. When visiting Edinburgh, Scotland a few years ago I went to a place on the Royal Mile called Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. It turns out the Brodie, who really was a deacon as well as a cabinet maker, was also a thief. He would build furniture for the well heeled then make copies of their keys and come back later to rob them. He was caught and hung on a scaffold of his own construction. Allegedly, this served as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

That’s MSU in a nut shell, you don’t know if Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde will show up and you don’t even know which team persona will finish the game. The most recent display (though there are countless examples) happened when Notre Dame traveled to East Lansing. Sparty took a large lead into the 4th quarter – depending on your position relative to Notre Dame – resulted in a stunning come from behind victory or an unthinkable collapse. A week later, the 4th quarter Notre Dame game personality played against Illinois, owner of a 10 game Big 10 losing streak, losing 23-20. Last week, they played Michigan in the annual rivalry game. While effort was apparent during the game from MSU, continuous penalties and mental errors helped an already dominant Wolverine team cruise to an easy 31-13 victory.

That being said, Sparty always wins a game they shouldn’t. So far, Pitt would have to be the victim least expected based on performance. But that’s where I start to worry about this game. It wouldn’t be the first time a mediocre MSU team beats #1 OSU. It happened twice before, in 1998 and in 1974. In 2005 and 2004, MSU played the Bucks close and arguably, outplayed them until 2nd half rallies. On paper, this shouldn’t even be close, particularly with leading rusher Javon Ringer out for the season, receiver Matt Trannon out for the game, and with Stanton’s sore ribs. But you just don’t know what team will show up or what the weather will bring.

So, to keep true to form, my prediction this week is a split. 90% probability MSU self-destructs at the first sign of adversity and the final score is 38-10 Buckeyes. 10% probability MSU picks itself up off the floor, rallies, and gives the Bucks a tough game, still resulting in a losing effort 24-21. Go Bucks!

Ohio State’s 2006 record: 6-0 Next up: @Michigan State 10/14
Tune: Swing Sweet Pussycat by Atomic Fireballs
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