The competition of college football has become increasingly more popular over the past two decades as the size of the crowds and the expansion of major stadiums across the country can attest. The growth of this enthusiasm can be largely attributed to the loyalty of sports fans and alumni of Colleges and Universities across the country. One such college that explodes with enthusiasm every game day is the Michigan State University Spartans. There is certainly no shortage of fan loyalty or participation at this University. Those sports fans fortunate enough to live in or near East Lansing and actually sit in Spartan stadium have a real opportunity to show their support both before and after any game. As with any college or University, you can imagine the different apparel that is available for them to purchase, not only from the school, but from many online web sites as well. The inventory is endless: Tee shirts, sweatshirts, hats, key chains, sweaters, blankets, flags, pennants. The list goes on forever. Every Saturday morning during the fall, loyal Spartans gather in the parking lots, pubs, garages and the great stadium to begin their celebration with a great sense of pride. There is nowhere else you will find a cause more united then at a Spartan gathering. You can hear the crescendo building as game time nears. As you walk toward the stadium, you are surrounded by the sounds of screaming fans, pockets of RVs with massive grills spewing awesome smelling smoke, and fans dressed and painted in green and white. This is entertainment at its finest. For those who do not know Michigan State is not a small university. As a matter of fact, it is the seventh largest university in the United States bolstering an enrollment just shy of 50,000. That is a lot of Tee Shirts, Key Chains and blankets. Moreover, let us not forget our Mascot, Sparty, who has been roaming the sidelines since the 1989 season. The cartoon looking mascot known the world over as Sparty the Spartan is physically unmistakable with his oversized head, bulging biceps, washboard abs, and green armor. No University could really survive without an outstanding Alumni program and Michigan State provides one of the best. It is usually the support of the Alumni program at any College or University that often spear heads the programs that raise money for new ventures such as stadiums, new classes, new or additional athletic equipment and band uniforms. The Alumni Association at Michigan State is a significant part of building and expanding fan loyalty at this University. So this next fall if you are one of the lucky 75,000 to be able to attend a Michigan State game, squeeze into your seat and watch the team explode on the field, be sure to show your support and wear that symbol of Spartan loyalty. Let those players see nothing but green and white in those stands. Help do your share by showing your school pride. Do it for yourself, your peers and most of all your team. Go Spartans!
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The Michigan State Spartans enter the 2014 coming off an impressive 2013 campaign. The Spartans finished the regular season with an impressive 34-24 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. The win pushed the Spartans to 12-1 and a chance to play Stanford in the Rose Bowl. The Spartans success would continue rolling to a 24-20 victory against the number five ranked Stanford. The 2014 season presents an even bigger challenge as the team has a difficult schedule that could feature as many as four or five ranked teams when it comes time to play them. The biggest of these challenges comes at the hand of the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks have been in the running the past few seasons for the National Championship game and 2014 should be no different. As far as in the Big Ten their three toughest games all come at home against Nebraska, Michigan and Ohio State. The Spartans will also have a few new conference matchups against the Maryland Terps and Rutgers who both are making their season debut in the Big Ten. Toughest Conference Game: When you look at the toughest conference game the first one that jumps out is the game on November 8th against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have put together a great run under Urban Meyer but the last game of the season on the road against the Penn St. Nittany Lions could be the biggest challenge. Despite losing their head coach the Nittany Lions were able to replace him with James Franklin from Vanderbilt. Toughest Non-Conference Game: As you look at their out of conference games against Jacksonville State, Oregon Ducks, East Michigan and Wyoming the choice for the toughest matchup is a easy call. The game against the Ducks come on the road at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The Ducks pride themselves on a fast paced offensive team that likes to score. Last season the Ducks ranked second in total offense with 7,345 yards and tied for third with 45.5 points per game. Upset Alert: If you take out the tough matchups against the top four teams and look at the remaining teams alive that could upset them the Maryland Terps could be that team. The Terps will have talented wide receiver Stefon Diggs back after suffering a season ending injury. Last season the Terps got off to a good start before injuries started to take a toll on the team. Top Returning Starters from 2013: Connor Cook will be returning for his sophomore season after finishing last season with 2,755 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Cook’s big play in the Big Ten Championship Game and Rose Bowl helped seal a 13-1 record. In the final two games of the season Cook finished with 636 passing yards, five touchdown passes and two interceptions. This is a challenging season for the Michigan State Spartan football team and fans. Support the Spartans by watching their Saturday games and sporting Spartan apparel. The Michigan Wolverines football team enters 2014 looking for a better performance than last year. The Wolverines finished second to last in the Legends Division of the Big Ten and tied for eighth overall with a 3-5 record in the conference. Overall the team finished with a 7-6 record after starting the season with five straight wins. The Wolverines would fall to Kansas State 31-14 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to finish the season. Brady Hoke will look for his team to improve in 2014 and should have an opportunity to put together some wins early. The toughest matchup in the first five games will come against Notre Dame on the road on September 6th. Last season the Wolverine were able to defeat the Fighting Irish 41-30 to move to 2-0. The Wolverines have a difficult back to back matchup against Penn State before traveling to take on Michigan State. The other tough matchup in the Big Ten comes at the end of the season on the road against Ohio State. The Wolverines will look to revenge their one point loss last season at home. Toughest Conference Game: The Wolverines have two games on their conference schedule that will be key in how the team finishes. These games are against Michigan State on October 25th and Ohio State on November 29th. The Ohio State matchup on paper early on seems to be the most difficult matchup after losing to both teams last season. Toughest Non-Conference Game: Notre Dame on the road is the only out of conference matchup that presents a challenge. The other three games come against Appalachian State, Miami of Ohio and Utah. If the Wolverines can get another big game out of Devon Gardner like the five touchdown performance last season the team could leave Notre Dame with a win. Upset Alert: The matchup against Northwestern on the road on November 8th could be that one mental lapse that the team faces all season. After last seasons three overtime win against the Wildcats look for another battle in 2014. Top Returning Starters from 2013: Devon Gardner is returning for his sophomore season at quarterback and the Wolverine fans should be excited. Gardner showed at times last season against Notre Dame he has the ability to play against some of the better schools. The one area that Gardner has to work on is his turnovers after throwing 11 interceptions last season. Gardner finished the season with 2,960 yards passing long with 483 yards rushing and a combined 32 touchdowns. Gardner will also have starting tight end Devin Funchess back for the 2014 season. Funchess finished the season with 49 catches for 748 yards and six touchdowns. Michigan fans and alumni support your Michigan football team this fall. Visit http://recreationandsportsworld.com/university-of-michigan-alumni-store for Michigan sports gear for the whole family. |
AuthorI love college sports, especially football. You may not always agree with me, but you will see I'm passionate. Archives
September 2017
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