Spartan Dispirit

It’s a familiar song for Michigan State fans who are used to their team underachieving. The Spartans were returning a very strong unit on defense, had Heisman candidate Le’Veon Bell at running back, and were blessed with a weak schedule that made them look very much like the favorites to...

By Ed Kummerer

December 27, 2012

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It’s a familiar song for Michigan State fans who are used to their team underachieving. The Spartans were returning a very strong unit on defense, had Heisman candidate Le’Veon Bell at running back, and were blessed with a weak schedule that made them look very much like the favorites to win the Big 10. Things were looking good for the Spartans until they got boat-raced at home by Notre Dame. After that, the Spartans went 1-5 against teams with a pulse (the one win come against the eventual Big 10 Champion Badgers). Now, they find themselves playing their bowl game about a week before they’d planned to.

The story of Saturday’s Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium, 500 East Veterans Way in Tempe, will be whether the Spartans will show up to play against a very game TCU. On paper, TCU looks less talented on both sides of the ball; that the Horned Frogs are favored anyway tells you everything you need to know about the intestinal fortitude of both teams.

Sat., Dec. 29, 8:15 p.m., 2012

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