EAST LANSING — Michigan State’s football program has a rare opportunity ahead of it on Saturday, a chance to transcend a football game with Ohio State into a happening. It’s a shot at making the kind of history that would cement a legacy outlasting the MSU players’ lifetimes. The Buckeyes are a 13-point favorite, a majority not giving the Spartans much of a shot at beating the star-studded Buckeyes. MSU coach Mark Dantonio knows better. Dantonio spent 9 1/2 years building his program for an opportunity just like this one. Last Saturday, Dantonio wasn’t about to allow Maryland’s kamikaze blitzes on his star quarterback screw it up. Whatever condition Connor Cook is in — he had his shoulder examined after being driven into the turf twice in the first quarter — college football’s active winningest QB (32-4) will leave his best effort on the field in a one-shot deal at Ohio Stadium. Cook’s done it before, turning in an MVP performance to lead the Spartans to a 34-24 victory that few saw coming in the 2013 Big Ten championship game. It’s likely Cook, one of seven MSU starters from Ohio, would trade any of his other career wins for a victory at Ohio State on Saturday. The Spartans have won big games under Dantonio, but ending the Buckeyes’ NCAA-record 30-game conference win streak, and doing it in Columbus, would put MSU football on another plateau. It’s a chance for the Spartans to gain control of the Big Ten and take a giant step toward putting themselves in contention for the national championship, via positioning to make the College Football Playoff. …
Continue Reading: Column: Michigan State football has rare shot to take historic step
