michigan state spartans

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Final 2013 BCS Rankings: Florida State And Auburn Finish Year On Top

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The BCS was never much more than a result of the staples that have long ruled college football — tradition, formality and prestige. Pair teams that should play each other together in a bowl, sure, but make sure they’re also the biggest names.

Official BCS Rankings
Rank Team
1 Florida State Seminoles
2 Auburn Tigers
3 Alabama Crimson Tide
4 Michigan State Spartans
5 Stanford Cardinal
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As the BCS sings its swan song, habits that seem old — like the SEC always being in the driver’s seat for the national title — are actually recent developments of the BCS era. But in 2013 it looked like there might be a chance to end the streak just before the BCS met its own end.

Then Michigan State stepped in the way. The Spartans topped Ohio State and the SEC’s Auburn will face Florida State in the national title game.

Not only that, but the SEC lands the No. 3 team in the country, Alabama, in another BCS bowl automatically, and ends the year occupying nearly half of the BCS’s top 10.

And so the BCS ends just like it was supposed to — granting 10 berths to 10 teams from the “power” conferences, though the AAC might have lost its claim to power long before it lost its “Big East” name.

The Big 10 and Pac-12 champions will meet in the Rose Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl will feature the Big 12’s champion. And the Sugar Bowl will get the replacement team of its dreams in Alabama. The BCS worked just like it should have, whether you liked it or not. We were just trying to make sense of it as it was handed down.

Some times we could, some times we couldn’t.

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The last-ever BCS rankings:

Final BCS Standings — December 8th

Rank Team BCS Score
1 Florida State Seminoles .9957
2 Auburn Tigers .9638
3 Alabama Crimson Tide .9061
4 Michigan State Spartans .8600
5 Stanford Cardinal .8191
6 Baylor Bears .7722
7 Ohio State Buckeyes .7705
8 Missouri Tigers .7256
9 South Carolina Gamecocks .7152
10 Oregon Ducks .5811
11 Oklahoma Sooners .5756
12 Clemson Tigers .5553
13 Oklahoma State Cowboys .5233
14 Arizona State Sun Devils .4416
15 UCF Knights .4343
16 LSU Tigers .4322

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Some thoughts:

  • BCS Know How’s Projected BCS vs. Actual BCS Rankings
    • Not a great final showing, so be it! This is too much fun to be sad about.
  • Again, we’re looking at a much different BCS Know How moving forward. We’ll figure it out after bowl season, which should actually be a ton of fun. Check out the non-BCS bowl schedule, too, if you’re looking for some interesting action.
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Michigan State Stuns Ohio State To Claim Big Ten Automatic BCS Bid

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Michigan State ended Ohio State’s 24-game winning streak in the Big Ten Championship Game and in turn clinch a spot in the Rose Bowl.

This will be Michigan State’s first-ever appearance in a BCS bowl and first appearance in the Rose Bowl since 1988. Michigan State knocks Ohio State out of a potential spot in the BCS title game, giving the Auburn Tigers the inside track on keeping the title in the SEC.

In the meantime, Michigan State will likely be on its way to Pasadena to face off against Stanford, which punched its ticket earlier Saturday night.

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BlogPoll Week Two: Alabama on top, Michigan State emerges on weekend of chaos

Alabama has proven the more consistent of the four top teams established early in this season — Oregon, USC, LSU and the Tide.

So they’re No. 1 in my second BlogPoll. Michigan State is also your big winner this week as the rest of the Big Ten crumbles.

Don’t agree? Criticize away!

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Wisconsin Rose Bowl Bound After Big Ten Title Game Victory

Everything is came up roses for Wisconsin, as the Badgers’ 42-39 victory over Michigan State will send quarterback Russell Wilson and the Badgers to Pasadena to take on Oregon in the Jan. 2 edition of the “granddady of them all.”

Wisconsin was victorious in the first-even Big Ten Conference Championship Game late Saturday night, going blow for blow with Michigan State before getting out ahead of the Spartans in the second half and never looking back.

Wilson and running back Monte Ball are two of the most explosive offensive weapons in the FBS, and will be matched score for score, undoubtedly, by Oregon in Pasadena.

Wisconsin was in the midst of the national title conversation until two straight losses dropped the Badgers out of the title chase. A resurgent team, however, kept at it, and made the most of the games it had remaining to get to the conference title game and now to the Rose Bowl.

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2011 BCS AQ Conference Profiles: Big Ten

Welcome to the 2011 college football season! BCS Know How will be taking you through the six automatic-qualifying BCS conferences and five non-AQ conferences with profiles of each conference. We continue with the Big Ten. Scroll down to see our profiles of the other 10 conferences.

Conference: Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)

Active Since: 1896

Current Member Schools:

Leaders Division: Nebraska Cornhuskers, Michigan Wolverines, Iowa Hawkeyes, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers
Legends Division: Illinois Fighting Illini, Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers, Wisconsin Badgers.

Bowl Affiliations: Rose Bowl (BCS), Little Caesars Bowl, Insight Bowl, Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl, TicketCity Bowl, Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Gator Bowl. (8)

2010 Results:
Conference Champion – Wisconsin
Conference Runner-up – Ohio State/Michigan State
BCS Bowl Results: 2011 Rose Bowl – TCU 21 vs. Wisconsin 19; 2011 Sugar Bowl – Ohio State 31 vs. Arkansas 26 (Vacated)
Overall Bowl Record: 3-5 (Ohio State’s victory was later vacated)
Heisman Vote Recipients: Michigan QB Denard Robinson (Sixth Overall)

2011 Outlook: If you were to ask a college football pundit to describe the Big Ten’s offseason in a single word, some variation of the word “tumultuous” would likely come up.

That’s what conference realignment, NCAA violations and coaching changes will bring you.

But with a newly redesigned conference (and logo) the 12-team Big Ten seems ready to move on, and move on with what they know how to do best — play some hard-nosed football.

Wisconsin, who surprised some with their Rose Bowl run last season, returns with an opportunity to stake their claim as a true power in the new conference, while teams like Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Penn State look to return to BCS glory of the past.

Ohio State will look to move past the off-season turmoil, and work toward the new Big Ten Conference Championship Game — possible because of the conference’s expansion to 12 teams.

The conference’s new power, Nebraska, will look to make a big statement in its first year in the conference while trying to fight off the best the “Leaders” and “Legends” have to offer to the Huskers.

2011 Heisman Hopefuls: Michigan QB Denard Robinson, Wisconsin RB James White, Wisconsin RB Monte Ball, Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins

BCS Know How’s 2011 Predictions:
Conference Champion – Wisconsin Badgers
Conference Runner-up – Michigan State Spartans
BCS bids – One: Wisconsin – Rose Bowl
Heisman Finalists – None

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Big Ten’s Rose Bowl Bid to be Determined by BCS Standings

With Wisconsin’s blowout 70-23 victory over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, the Big Ten’s conference title will officially be split between the Michigan State Spartans, Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Badgers’ victory followed a 37-7 victory by Ohio State over Michigan and a 28-22 Michigan State win over Penn State. All three teams finish the season at 11-1 overall and 7-1 in conference.

Although all three will be credited with a Big Ten conference championship for this year, only one can be named to the Rose Bowl as the “Big Ten Champion” and that tie will be broken by the BCS standings.

The team which finishes the season ranked as the highest team among the three in the final BCS standings will be given the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the Rose Bowl.

Last weekend, Wisconsin was the highest ranked among the three teams at No. 7. Ohio State was right behind the Badgers at No. 8 and Michigan State was at No. 10.

With a few losses by top teams this weekend, the BCS standings are sure to shuffle at least slightly tomorrow, which will likely give us the clearest picture of which team will be on top come the final BCS standings.

Wisconsin seems to be in the driver’s seat for the bid, however all three teams will be powerless to change their fortunes as all three are done with their seasons, and will only be able to watch the final BCS release to know their final fate.

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Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East Rundown Week Ten

Big Ten

Conference Leader: Michigan State (9-1, 5-1)

Lurking: Wisconsin (8-1, 4-1)

Game of Last Week: Michigan 67 vs. Illinois 65. In a game that made the schools’ basketball game score from last season look paltry, Michigan outlasted the Illini in three overtimes.

Game of Next Week: Ohio State vs. Penn State. The Buckeyes will have to pass the test of a suddenly rejuvenated Nittany Lions team if they want to stay alive in the crowded Big Ten race.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (8-1, 4-1; North Division) and Oklahoma State (8-1, 4-1; South Division)

Lurking: Missouri (7-2, 3-2; North Division) and Missouri (7-2, 3-2; South Division)

Game of Last Week: Texas A&M 33 vs. Oklahoma 19. The Sooners suffer a crushing second loss in Big 12 play while the Aggies impress enough to get a spot in this week’s BCS standings.

Game of Next Week: Oklahoma State vs. Texas. On the road in Austin, the South Division-leading Cowboys will again be put to the test against a team that is usually in their spot.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Baylor Bears, Kansas State Wildcats, Texas A&M Aggies.

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (5-3, 3-0)

Lurking: Syracuse (6-3, 3-2)

Game of Last Week: South Florida 28 vs. Rutgers 27. The matchup did not disappoint, as the Bulls captured their first victory over the Scarlet Knights in five tries.

Game of Next Week: Pittsburgh vs. Connecticut. The Huskies have a chance to derail the seemingly easy road ahead of the Panthers for the Big East crown with this Thursday night showdown.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

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Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East Rundown Week Nine

Big Ten

Conference Leader: Michigan State (8-1, 4-1)

Lurking: Ohio State (8-1, 4-1)

Game of Last Week: Iowa 37 vs. Michigan State 6. The Spartans were looking to use a road win at Iowa to propel them to an undefeated season and a Big Ten crown. The Hawkeyes had other ideas — knocking Michigan State out of the BCS title race, and reinserting themselves into the Big Ten race.

Game of Next Week: Illinois vs. Michigan. The Illini’s only two conference losses have come against the cream of the Big Ten crop, can Michigan and Denard Robinson hang with them at home?

Bowl Eligible Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Northwestern Wildcats.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (7-1, 3-1; North Division) and Baylor (7-2, 4-1; South Division)

Lurking: Missouri (7-1, 3-1; North Division) and Oklahoma State (7-1, 3-1; South Division)

Game of Last Week: Nebraska 31 vs. Missouri 17. Missouri looked to keep its undefeated season alive against Nebraska after toppling former BCS No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend. The Cornhuskers instead ran all over the Tigers and gave Missouri its first loss.

Game of Next Week: Oklahoma State vs. Baylor. Two surprise contenders for the South Division lead will play the equivalent of a knockout game for a chance at the South crown.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Baylor Bears.

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (5-3, 3-0)

Lurking: Syracuse (6-2, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Connecticut 16 vs. West Virginia 13. The Huskies needed overtime, but they were finally able to defeat West Virginia — a first in the team’s time in the Big East.

Game of Next Week: Rutgers vs. South Florida. Its hard to stress enough — every team in the Big East can still take the conference title and BCS bid, but if either of these teams want a shot, they’ll have to come out of this matchup with a win.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

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Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East Rundown Week Eight

Big Ten

Conference Leader: Michigan State (8-0, 4-0)

Lurking: Wisconsin (7-1, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Wisconsin 31 vs. Iowa 30. In what might end up being a Big Ten championship knockout game, the Badgers didn’t fall victim to the letdown after upsetting Ohio State last weekend and held off Iowa’s last-minute comeback.

Game of Next Week: Michigan State vs. Iowa. If the Spartans can survive their trip into Iowa City, they have an easy path to an undefeated season and a Big Ten conference championship awaiting them

Bowl Eligible Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Missouri (7-0, 3-0; North Division) and Baylor (6-2, 3-1; South Division)

Lurking: Nebraska (6-1, 2-1; North Division) and Oklahoma State (6-1, 2-1; South Division)

Game of Last Week: Missouri 36 vs. Oklahoma 27. Yet another upset as Missouri knocks off the then-No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners at home and sends the Big 12 title chase and BCS standings into complete chaos.

Game of Next Week: Missouri vs. Nebraska. The Tigers will hope to avoid the expected letdown after beating Oklahoma when they travel into Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers — who despite falling to Texas two weekends ago, continue to look strong.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Baylor Bears.

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-0)

Lurking: Syracuse (5-2, 2-1)

Game of Last Week: Syracuse 19 vs. West Virginia 14. An upset in the completely unpredictable Big East reveals the Orange to be legitimate conference title contenders.

Game of Next Week: Louisville vs. Pittsburgh. With literally every team still alive in the Big East title chase, the current leader Panthers will look to avoid the upset to a good Cardinals team.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.

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Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East Rundown Week Seven

Big Ten

Conference Leader: Michigan State (7-0, 3-0)

Lurking: Iowa (5-1, 2-0)

Game of Last Week: Wisconsin 31 vs. Ohio State 18. For the second straight week, the nation’s No. 1 team falls to a one-beaten conference foe, this time the Badgers rather easily dispatch the Buckeyes.

Game of Next Week: Wisconsin vs. Iowa. Both teams have revived their chances at a Big Ten title with the Badgers’ victory over Ohio State last weekend. A victory here would give either team fire for the stretch run in the Big Ten.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Missouri (6-0, 2-0; North Division) and Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0; South Division)

Lurking: Kansas State (5-1, 2-1; North Division) and Oklahoma State (6-0, 2-0; South Division)

Game of Last Week: Texas 20 vs. Nebraska 13. Nebraska welcomed Texas into Lincoln hoping for some revenge for last season’s last second loss in the Big 12 Championship Game. Instead the Longhorns pulled the shocking upset.

Game of Next Week: Oklahoma vs. Missouri. Two of the nation’s remaining 10 unbeatens face off in a marquee prime time matchup. Oklahoma will be looking to end the streak of No. 1’s falling flat at two.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Big East

Conference Leader: West Virginia (5-1, 1-0)

Lurking: Rutgers (4-2, 1-0)

Game of Last Week: Cincinnati 35 vs. Louisville 27. Zach Collaros threw for five touchdowns as the Bearcats continue their recent run of Big East success.

Game of Next Week: Rutgers vs. Pittsburgh. Both teams won their Big East openers and will look to gain strong footing for the Big East stretch run.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.