That was the greatest Big Ten Championship Game I have ever seen. Yes, I know it is also the only Big Ten Championship Game to this point but that sentiment may remain true long into the future. It has been described as an instant classic. A game that featured points early and often. It was back-and-forth until the very end. It may have been an anti-climatic ending to a wild game but it seems almost fitting that the penalty was due to a player giving 110% effort trying to make a big B1G play. The Badgers won and will represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl and face the Oregon Ducks while the Spartans will head to the Outback Bowl to face the SEC runner-up (they are technically the runner-up even though two SEC teams will play in the national championship game, right?) Georgia. Years from now the actual results may be a long lost memory but we will all remember the first Championship Game.
The entire weekend was one that I (and I'm sure many others) will "tell the grandkids about." If that doesn't mean the Big Ten was successful, I don't know how to define success. It was a game the conference should be proud of. Two teams its fans can be proud of. An atmosphere the city should be proud of. And a weekend we can all be proud of. With these pictures, I will do my best to recap the Inaugural Big Ten Championship:
It all started with Fan Fest in the Indianapolis Convention Center which is conveniently located right across the street from Lucas Oil Stadium. The Fest had games for fans of all schools and all ages. The Heisman Trophy even made an appearance. If I had my way, they could have just left it in Montee Ball's locker and be done with it.
The Stagg Championship Trophy was on display and fans were allowed to get their picture taken with the it. The same exact trophy would be handed to the Badgers later in the evening.
There was a lot of red and a lot of green at Fan Fest and I saw a fan from every school in the Big Ten. For what it's worth, I would say it was about a 50/50 split in Indy between the Wisconsin and Michigan State fanbases.
In 62 days, Indianpolis will play host to the Super Bowl. If Big Ten Championships, Final Fours, Indy 500s and Big Ten Tournaments aren't enough to assure you that Indianapolis is more than capable of doing an extraordinary job of hosting a Super Bowl, let my personal experience assure you - Indianapolis will be a tremendous Super Bowl host.
The chances of going to Fan Fest and not having fun were...wait for it...remote! (Ah, c'mon! Somebody had to)
It was an outstanding host-city and an incredible venue. Again, if I had my way, I think the Big Ten should keep the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium far into the future.
I had an opportunity to walk around the stadium for a while before kick-off. I found these two young men who, admittedly, had the worst seats in the building. I asked them about this and they quickly refuted, "We're just happy to be here and ready to watch some football." This feeling was shared by nearly all in attendance. I saw a lot of grown men walking around with giddy smiles prior to kickoff.
This was the view from my seat in the pressbox. There are 103 seats in the Lucas Oil Stadium pressbox and I was proud owner of number 102. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet the only person who was less important than me!
This was the view from the MSU student section as the Spartans headed to the locker room with a first-half lead.
...and the opposing view from the Badger student section. You better believe they created an impromptu "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarters.
Here's the view from the Quarterback Suite. There were a lot of important people hanging out there...and then there was me. Marvin McNutt and Braxton Miller were among those in attendance.
This was my view for the final 3:00 minutes of the game. From my vantage point it appeared as though...well, I can't tell you if it was a penalty or not because I couldn't see it.
And just like that, Bucky punched its ticket to the Rose Bowl. This guy seemed to be very popular with the Wisconsin players for whatever reason.
Montee Ball and company stop to pose with their rose. What a scene...
Coach Bielema gets some post-game pub. He just seems like a guy you want to root for. He seemed upbeat and easy to interact with all weekend. Obviously going to the Rose Bowl will put you in a better mood.
Montee Ball did Montee Ball things all night. Can someone get this man the Heisman?
Bucky even got a rose...
Commissioner Delany and the Stagg Championship Trophy. Russell Wilson was named MVP.
Wisconsin fans know Nick Tooooon has great hands. I guess that makes it easy to trust with with the responsibility of carrying the trophy to the locker room.
And finally, Coach Bielema gets to the locker room with his roses. He gets to sleep easy for one night, then its time to prepare for the Quack Attack.
In all seriousness, I used a lot of pictures because I'm not sure words could do this experience justice. It was a B1G stage and the Big Ten was first class on all accounts. Two teams to be proud of, a game to be proud of and a conference we should all be very proud of. I can't thank the Big Ten enough for letting me be apart of the Mobile Tour. It was an experience I will never forget. It was the Big Ten.
So, here we are. It's gameday for the first-ever Big Ten
Championship Game. It's Michigan State and Wisconsin, Spartans and Badgers,
Legends and Leaders. If history is any indication, we are in for one heck of a
game.
Last year, these two teams shared the title of Big Ten
Champion. Without the luxury of a championship game, the Badgers went to the
Rose Bowl and the Spartans went to the Capital One Bowl.
If you have forgotten this year's matchup between the
Badgers and Wisconsin, shame on you. It was a classic Big Ten battle that came
down to the final play and a Hail Mary from the Spartans that proved football
really is a game of inches.
Now, they get to play for the Stagg Trophy and a trip to the
Rose Bowl. It's not quite "win or go home" but it has that feel. They'll have
the national spotlight and a chance to prove they are the Big Ten's best.
For Wisconsin, the story of the season has been on the
offensive side of the football. Pick your poison. Try containing junior running
back Montee Ball and Russell Wilson will pick you apart. If you're lucky enough
to control one or both of those, the Badgers have Nick Toon (or as Badger fans
say, "Toooooooooon") to make plays from the receiver position.
Ball (appropriately named) has already broken the Big Ten
single-season touchdown record with 34 and is just five behind the national
record set by Barry Sanders (you might have heard of him). Meanwhile, Wilson
has just been plugging along having one of the most efficient seasons from the
quarterback position in the history of NCAA football. With a 192.90 rating, he
is on pace to set a new NCAA record for pass efficiency. Oh, and don't forget
about Tooooon who has 52 receptions, 788 yards and nine touchdowns.
If there is any team up to the challenge of slowing the
Badger offense, it is Michigan State. The Spartans rank third nationally in
total defense at 266.67 yards per game, rank sixth in scoring defense at 15.42
points per game, seventh in pass efficiency defense, eighth in pass defense and
11th in rushing defense. Sparty is tough.
Michigan State may lack the star power on the offensive side
of the ball that Wisconsin has but they have a leader who just refuses to lose. Fifth-year
senior quarterback Kirk Cousins is the winningest quarterback in school
history. Cousins has compiled a 26-11 record in his 37 starts and is 21-4 in
his last 25 starts. And honestly, it feels like he's been at MSU forever. I
can't confirm it but I think he and Earvin "Magic" Johnson were a part of the
same recruiting class.
Maybe Sparty's lack of star power is what makes this team
special. The collective whole is better than its individual pieces. Coach
Dantonio knows how to get the most out of his players and he is not shy about
their goal. He mentioned in his press conference that they have placed roses in
all the players' lockers. Of course, a not so subtle reference to the Rose
Bowl.
So what should we expect out of the game? I don't know,
that's a great question. (Yes, I just complemented my own question)
I would expect that Wisconsin is playing with a chip on
their shoulder (I would also expect them to play with shoulder pads on their shoulders). They may be an angry football team tonight. Meanwhile, Michigan State
wants to prove that they belong at College Football's "Grown Ups Table." There's
just something about the Spartans that makes the team special. They didn't have
an individual award winner but here they are, ranked ninth in the country and
playing for the Big Ten Championship and a ticket to the Rose Bowl.
In the end, I think the Badgers offense is just too good.
And I know that's the "easy" pick. Indoors, on turf, I'm expecting a high scoring
game but a close one. I wouldn't be shocked if Montee Ball has that "Heisman
Moment" that seems to have escaped college football this season. A big game
from him and he may shoot up some Heisman ballots which are due Monday. (Why is Ball not getting more consideration for the Heisman? All he has done is score. And to think he hasn't even played in most of his team's fourth quarters!) The
final? I'll go 38-35, Badgers win.
More than anything, embrace tonight's game. 100 years from
now, they may still be playing a Big Ten Championship Game and we'll get to say
we witnessed the first one. It's a special night for not only these
student-athletes but the Big Ten as a whole. Be proud. Be Leaders. Be Legends... And be B1G.
What. A. Night! The Big Ten knows how to throw an event...a
B1G event.
The Awards Gala was a night to honor the Big Ten and its
student-athlete achievements. Awards were given out and we were all reminded why
being apart of the Big Ten is something special. We should take great pride in
this conference, its schools, its students, and its student-athletes of the
past, present and future.
The Big Ten stars were out on this special night.
Appearances included Bob Griese, Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Dick Butkus, Ron
Dayne, Dallas Clark and many more.
I caught up with a few of the stars in attendance to see
what they thought of the B1G Ten and the Championship Game.
Former Athlete: Ron
Dayne
School: Wisconsin
Achievements: Holds
the NCAA record for most rushing yards, Big Ten Player of the Year 1999,
All-American in 1996, '98, '99, 1999 Heisman Trophy Winner. (Between Ron Dayne and the endzone is not a place I want to be)
His thoughts on
Montee Ball and prediction on the game:
"He's just out there having fun. They're winning and he's
breaking records - that's great. Hopefully Wisconsin can win and it doesn't
come down to a Hail Mary again. As long as Wisconsin wins, I'll be very happy.
Maybe we'll win on a Hail Mary this time."
Achievements: 2002
All-Big Ten, Consensus First Team All-American, John Mackey Award Winner
His thoughts on what
it means to be a part of the Big Ten:
"It's just one big family especially in the first year for
an event like this. With the whole transition of two divisions, I think it's
something new and something fresh. Everybody seems to be taking it in stride.
Everyone and everything has been so positive and everyone is enjoying
themselves."
Former Athlete: Bob
Griese
School: Purdue
Achievements:
Two-time All-American, Second in Heisman voting in 1966, led Purdue to their
first Rose Bowl Appearance
His thoughts on the
big game "experience":
"Back in '67 when we took Purdue to the Rose Bowl, it was
all about the game. Now, there's a celebration all week. The Super Bowl has
turned in to a two-week festival. The games are much bigger. The game is what
everything is built around but they want to get the fans more involved. The
fans want to come and celebrate and do what they do best - celebrate.
His thoughts on the
Griese-Brees winner Russell Wilson:
"I saw Russell when he played for NC State and I was working
with ESPN. I knew before he went to Wisconsin how good a player he was. I knew
what type of player Wisconsin was getting. I thought Wisconsin would and should
be favored to win the Big Ten. He's an outstanding player and I think he's
going to be a pretty good NFL player as well."
I am just one of approximately 470,000 students that attend Big Ten universities but I take great pride in that and I was reminded why last night. Two teams will battle tonight to see who is "top dog" in the conference but in the end, I hope everyone realizes how great the conference as a whole is. It's big time, it's the Big Ten.
It just takes two words to put a smile on a Spartan's face. Those two same words will bring a grimace to a Badger's face. It's simple: Hail Mary!
It is defined as a very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half. (And yes, wikipedia is my source. I am a college student after all)
For Michigan State, it was exactly that. With 0:04 seconds on the clock and a tie ball-game, the Spartans had the ball at the 44-yard line. Kirk Cousins dropped back and heaved it deep. The ball was tipped out of the end-zone and eventually caught by Keith Nichol. He was tackled and downed at the 1-yard line...game over.
Or so we thought. Michigan State thought they had crossed the the goal and won the game. Wisconsin thought they had stopped him short and won the game. And after further review, the officials got it right and the Spartans were victorious.
For Wisconsin, they were on the wrong end of another long pass in the closing seconds the very next week against Ohio State. Two words and two long passes may have kept Wisconsin out of the National Championship Game but that's why America loves this game. It can turn on a tipped pass, a toss of desperation and a bit of luck - you never know.
Try it. Ask a Spartan fan about a hail mary and (very politely) ask a badger fan about a hail mary. You'll get responses at the opposite ends of the spectrum.
So with that, this game has a little extra meaning. The Badgers want to prove that the Spartans got lucky and the Spartans want to prove that they are, in fact, the better team. Expect a very intense game. Expect a very close game. And in the end, don't be surprised if it comes down to a Hail Mary!
My first inclination is to go with the human mascot - the Spartan. But in the words of former B1G coach Lee Corso,
"not so fast my friend."
Let's take a look at both universities' mascots.
The Spartan - an intimidating character. Michigan State's
version, Sparty, has got everything a, uh, female
warrior could ever want. He's strong, confident, muscular, intense, did
I mention he has a lot of muscles yet? However, he was not MSU's first mascot.
That would be an Aggie, which was an ode to the school's agriculture ... roots (pun
intended).
Sparty is well decorated. In 2004, he won best Mascot
National Championship at the Universal Cheer Association/Universal Dance
Association College Nationals. If winning it once wasn't enough, he repeated in
2005 and again in 2007. He is also
featured on the cover of the Nintendo Wii's NCAA Football 2009 video game.
These are all great honors but are they enough to outduel the feisty Badger?
Badger... Bucky Badger. Well actually, if we're getting
technical his full name is Buckingham U. Badger. Bucky was originally portrayed as a cartoon. Then, the university decided to bring the
mascot to life - a decision they would regret. The Badger proved too aggressive
for the sidelines and had to be donated to a local zoo. Advantage Badger.
Currently, Bucky roams the sidelines in a cardinal red and
white striped sweater. Don't let the sweater
fool you. Bucky is one tough badger. One tradition involves push-ups after
every score...no questions asked. After the 83-20
drumming of IU last year, that is one Badger I don't want to fight.
So, after further review and minutes upon minutes of
consideration I have to go with Bucky. While it's tough to go against a mascot
based off these guys, doesn't Sparty's wardrobe
almost resemble a dress?! Plus, can you ever bet against a dancing Badger? I think not.
In the end, I think the Badger pulls the upset. He's angry,
ferocious and seeking some revenge.
Disclaimer: No mascots were harmed in the entry of this blog
and the Big Ten Mobile Tour in no way condones mascot-on-mascot violence.
The Big Ten's Honoring Legends. Building Leaders. Mobile Tour makes its final stop this weekend in Indianapolis for the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game.
The Mobile Tour will be at Big Ten Fan Fest on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and the Stagg Championship Trophy will be on site until approximately 2 p.m. before it is taken to Lucas Oil Stadium and presented to the winner of the title game.
Purdue's Jonathan Gandolf will be blogging during weekend, from the coaches press conferences this afternoon through the trophy presentation on Saturday.
Follow @B1GMobileTour on Twitter for more information.
Michigan State's Brittany McCormick did a great job reporting on the Big Ten's Honoring Legends. Building Leaders. Mobile Tour during its stop in East Lansing!
Remember to follow the tour all season long on this blog and on Twitter @B1GMobileTour and vote for your favorite reporter at the end of the season. The winning student will get a trip to the Big Ten Football Championship Game or a Big Ten bowl game of their choice!
I hope all of you had a great time following the
Stagg-Paterno trophy's journey throughout the campus of Michigan State. It spent
some time at the Union where many students and faculty were able to get a
picture with it and it was seen by hundreds of students who went to go eat
lunch on Friday at the Brody Cafeteria. Many Spartan basketball fans were able
to get a glimpse of it at both the men's and women's basketball exhibition
games. And of course, the trophy was present for football game day yesterday
before the Michigan State vs. Minnesota game.
I had a blast documenting the trophy at Michigan State and having
the chance to share with the rest of the Big Ten a place that I am more than
happy to call home. I just wanted to give a special thanks to the Big Ten for
this amazing opportunity, all the staff that was working on the tour and to my
office, MSU Athletic Communications, for all of their support. We hope to see
the Stagg-Paterno trophy again soon in December at the championship game! GO
GREEN!
10:30 p.m.: I've been asking the question 'what does it mean to be a
Spartan?' for the past few days- but when I asked the question to myself, I
honestly had a hard time picking one answer.
Being a Spartan is staying up late to watch our football
team run trick plays in overtime to beat Notre Dame or throw Hail Mary passes
with no time left to take down Wisconsin. It's waking up at 7 a.m. to go
tailgating for every home football game (which we won ours today over Minnesota 31-24 - GO GREEN!) It's going every year to the historic Joe Louis Arena to
watch our hockey team take on Michigan in a storied rivalry.It's traveling a short road down to Detroit
or a longer one to Indianapolis to watch our men's basketball team play in
back-to-back Final Fours.
It's being able to celebrate Big Ten Championships. It's
about being able to walk around campus (most of the time in the snow) and yell
"Go Green!" and hear the more than anticipated response of "Go White!" It's taking a
picture in front of the Sparty Statue or even with Sparty himself. It's about
sticking together through tough losses and cheering for your team no matter
what
But more importantly, being a Spartan is something more than
any of us can really put into words. I captured just a glimpse of what it means
to be a Spartan in this video of Spartan game day. To hear more on what it
truly means to be a part of the Green and White, just ask any Spartan - they'd
be more than happy to tell you.
11:30 a.m.: Happy game day Spartan Nation! Check out some pictures from tailgating and of some fans that visited the trophy this morning. I also included a picture of the Spartan's Big Ten Trophy from 2010 for some motivation. Stay tuned for a video later that will recap all the Spartan game day traditions. It's a beautiful football Saturday here in East Lansing - GO GREEN!
10:30 p.m.: Today was nothing short of eventful here on the beautiful
campus of MSU. After stopping at Brody Square, the trophy made its way to the Michigan
State men's basketball exhibition game against Hillsdale. The Spartans put on quite
the performance, coming out with the 80-58 victory.
On my list of what it means to be a Spartan, is being in the Izzone.
The Izzone is the men's basketball student section and plays a huge role in the
atmosphere in the Breslin on game day. We're loud and crazy and are always
cheering for our team. To be in the Izzone you have to prove your dedication by
attending a one night campout, a day I look forward to every year (and trust
me, I'm not that much of a camper). At the campout, there's food, games, bands
and the team and Coach Izzo even come out to meet with the students and answer
questions. Some members of the Izzone came by to visit the trophy.
Here is a video that summarizes the trophy's journey so far
and continues on with the theme of what it means to be a Spartan.
This was a quick update tonight, for there is much to
prepare for for tomorrow! We will see all you tailgaters bright and early before
MSU takes on Minnesota at noon. The Stagg-Paterno trophy will be setup on the
North side of the stadium from 8:30 a.m. until noon and then again from 3 p.m.
until 4 p.m. With that, sleep tight Spartan nation- we have a big game
tomorrow! GO GREEN!
1:00 p.m.: Hello
from Brody Square! The Stagg-Paterno trophy visited the Brody Cafeteria this
morning and many students were able to get their picture taken with it on their
way to eat either breakfast or lunch.
The Brody Complex is a group of six dorms that surround a
main cafeteria. Many freshmen start their journeys at Michigan State here. I lived
in Brody my freshman year and it is where I started learning about what it
meant to be a Spartan. Whether it was late night cafeteria runs for some pizza
or just hanging out in our lounge, I found out that being a Spartan means that
you are always surrounded by friends who eventually turn into what you consider
family
Another answer to the question of what it means to be a
Spartan is the excitement on Friday afternoons. You can feel it in the air as
everyone gets ready for the weekend ahead. This weekend is a big one on the
campus of Michigan State. The men's basketball team plays in its exhibition
game tonight which will serve as its last contest before it faces UNC at the
Carrier Classic on Nov. 11th. And let's not forget about the main event
tomorrow. The No. 15 Michigan State football team takes on Minnesota in a key
Legends division matchup.
The sun is shining, campus is alive and I know I'm excited
for this weekend to get started. See you all at the men's basketball exhibition
game later. The trophy will be outside section 129 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m.. In preparation
for the men's game, I included a picture of our statue of one of MSU's greatest
basketball legends - Magic Johnson. And as always, GO GREEN!
