The Michigan State/Notre Dame rivalry is a rivalry that is often overlooked in college football, but it shouldn't be.
I'll give you three good reasons why it shouldn't be overlooked.
1) The 1966 game between the Spartans and the Fighting Irish. The game is referred to as "The Game Of The Century." That nickname says A LOT. I mean out of all the collegiate games played (or at least up until 1966), this was the game that was agreed upon as supreme. The game was held at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The visiting Irish entered the game ranked #1 in the nation with an 8-0 record, while the #2 ranked Spartans (who were the defending National Champions) came in with a 9-0 record. The Spartans defense, led by All-American D-lineman Bubba Smith (yes the mythical quarterback-eating Bubba Smith), reeked havoc on Notre Dame's offense. Smith knocked out the Golden Domers' starting QB Terry Hanratty in the first quarter. Now that's taking care of business. Michigan State took a slight 10-7 lead into halftime, and looked to take down the top-ranked team in the country. The third quarter showcased just how evenly matched the teams were, as neither team managed to score a single point. Notre Dame tied the game with a field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter, and then the stalemate resumed. The Irish had the ball on their own 30 yardline with 1:10 to go in the game, but legendary head coach Ara Parseghian (Rudy's initial coach) chose to run out the clock. That's right "The Game Of The Century" ended in a 10-10 tie. Parseghian received flack from practically everyone for not taking a shot at winning the game. He defended himself by saying he didn't want to make a foolish turnover, and give Michigan State an easy score. With the game ending in a tie, both teams resumed their rankings from before the game. It was like the game never happened...oh but it did. It was truly the Game of the Century. Both teams would finish the season undefeated, and share the National Championship from that year. That 1966 game lives on in infamy to this very day, and poses a very familiar question to both MSU fans and Notre Dame fans. "What if...?"
2) The Megaphone Trophy. This trophy has been awarded to the winner of the yearly game since 1949, which was a 34-21 Notre Dame victory. It's no secret that the Big 10 has the best rivalry trophies in the country. Michigan State is in the Big 10 conference and even though Notre Dame isn't, this is still a pretty sweet trophy. The trophy is a large megaphone with a heavy, wooden base. One side of the megaphone is painted green with white trim, and has the Spartan logo on it, while the other side is painted navy with gold trim, with the interlocking "ND" logo on it. Whichever team wins the annual game gets that year painted on their side of the Megaphone. Notre Dame has more years painted on their side, as they lead the rivalry with 31 wins to MSU's 26 wins, with a lone tie in the series. (and we all know which one that was).
3) The 2010 game. That's right, this year's game is the third and final reason why this rivalry shouldn't be overlooked. If there was any doubt that this rivalry was "dead" or undeserving of its rivalry status, then this year shredded those doubts. The 2010 match-up would have many similarities of the infamous Game of the Century. This game, like the 1966 game, was held at MSU's Spartan Stadium. Unlike the '66 game neither team entered the game ranked, as Notre Dame limped in with a 1-1 record and Sparty entered 2-0 (just not ranked). The similarities resume as soon as the game starts. It was a slugfest right from the sounding whistle. Both teams exchange blows, back and forth...back and forth. (Go to ESPN.com and look at the boxscore of this game, it's fantastic). The game was all tied up (this is a recurring theme in this rivalry) 7-7 at the half. In the second half it went from slugfest to scorefest. The third quarter was like a game of tic-tac-toe. Sparty scored on the first possession to go up 14-7, but Notre Dame answered on the ensuing drive to even it up at 14. Things go quiet for a while. Michigan State livens things back up with a touchdown to go up 21-14. Guess what happens next. Notre Dame scores with a minute and a half left in the quarter, it's all tied up heading into the fourth. The Golden Domers break up the scoring sequence, as Dayne Crist finds Michael Floyd for a 24 yard TD pass. The Irish go up 28-21. Sparty says "anything you can do, I can do better." They score on a 24 yard TD pass of their own, as Kirk Cousins connects with B.J. Cunningham for six with 7:43 left in the game. Things go back silent. This time it's Michigan State who has a chance to win it all. They get the ball with 1:44 left in the game, but their drive was filled with bad luck. Two big sacks and two big penalties force the Spartans to punt. Notre Dame has 33 seconds to bury the ghost of the 1966 game. After 44 years of wondering, what will they do? They run the clock out...again. Just like the 1966 game, the two teams are tied with no time left on the clock. But this time the game won't end in a tie. This is a new century. The game has changed. This is 2010. To overtime we go. The Irish get the ball first, but no dice. They go 3 and out. They kick a field goal to go ahead 31-28. Sparty's turn. It's the opposite team, but it's the same result...3 and out. They'll kick a field goal and we're off to the second overtime...right? The Irish definitely thought so. I quote the great Lee Corso when I say, " Not so fast my friend!" The Spartans line up for the field goal. Dan Conroy comes on to kick, Aaron Bates to hold. The line gets set, the snap good, the hold...is moving? Oh my! They wouldn't dare fake it here...they would! Bates is going to throw it. He's got a man open. He throws, the tight end catches. It's a touchdown...Spartans win! Spartans win! No one can believe it. The Irish don't want to believe it. The Spartans can't believe it worked...but they're glad it did. And how about this? Later after the game, Spartans Head Coach Mark Dantonio had a mild heart attack. I can see why he did after making a call like that, and then getting the big win. The 1966 game may have been the Game of the 20th Century, but I think we just found the Game of the 21st (at least in this rivalry).
Quick Honorable Mention (that should be 1 of the 3 above reasons, but that I will use as an endnote): The 2005 game. The Spartans beat the Irish in double overtime by a final score of 44-41 in South Bend. The rowdy Spartans parade (almost) to midfield, and jab a Michigan State flag into Notre Dame's home turf. The Irish's response. They sandbag the Megaphone trophy despite losing, and don't give it to the victorious MSU team. Now if that's not the definition of a rivalry, I don't know what is.
Bottom Line: The rivalry between the Fighting Irish and the Spartans is a very REAL rivalry, and it is alive and well. The movie Rudy almost makes me tear up when I watch it. Sparty knows how to Party, and I want to Party with Sparty.
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