“Celebrate the State” Could Change Everything for the BCS Schools (With Video)

by Dan Cash
Bronco Sports First

Thursday afternoon Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis announced along with the 3 Michigan MAC schools Athletic Directors that the Spartans would be traveling to each one of the schools for road football games in the next 10 years.

The “Celebrate the State” pact is certainly motivated by economic circumstances and without the current monetary issues it may never have happened. That however is for a different time.

What the Michigan schools (aside from Michigan) did Thursday may start turning heads that the cross-country trips, simply to fill a road game may not be as necessary as once thought. Michigan State playing at Hawaii, Michigan going to Oregon is there really that much hype for those games amongst the alumni?

There's something different about a Big Ten school taking it upon themselves to say “Yes, we'll take on that challenge.”

Certainly this is a great PR move for Michigan State. They sent out the press release, they held the announcement at their central facility in Spartan Stadium and it was their Athletic Director Mark Hollis looking like the savior of football in Michigan by announcing it.

But I think it's more than that.

I think it's a Big Ten team making the point that there are some great football teams playing in the Mid-American Conference and 3 of them happen to play in cities with decent amounts of Spartan alumni living in them.

Spartan fans I ask you: Do you really want to see MSU take on Florida Atlantic or Montana State year in and year out? Does it really help your cause as a football program?

The easy answer is no.

This is obviously a win for the Mid-American Conference schools. Their fans get a chance to see Michigan State in action on a MAC field. A city like Kalamazoo is going to look like it never has on a Saturday for a game.

Waldo will be packed. The hills will be packed, the end zones will be packed, the press box will be packed. The stadium will be electric that day. The same goes for Ypsilanti and Mt. Pleasant. The MAC schools cannot lose in this deal as it stands now.

It's the same for Michigan State. In many ways they will have a slightly partial crowd against them, but for the most part you will probably see at least 8000 Spartan fans at Waldo Stadium. MSU gets to save on travel expenses, the Broncos get a home game against Michigan State and if they knock them off, at home, no one will ever forget the date. WIN, WIN.

More than anything though, this deal is a challenge to the rest of the BCS world. Take a risk for once, go somewhere you don't feel comfortable to show just how GOOD you really are. The Michigan's of the world have for years avoided the MAC road game...that will continue at Michigan, but it was made pretty clear today, they aren't afraid at Michigan State and every MAC school feels the same way.