“Just staying humble and keeping a smile,” Kotter said of all the Buckeyes’ fan’s’ jokes he was receiving.

Though Kotter did not attend MSU, he said both his parents are 1979 alumni and his father lived in the same dorm as MSU Hall of Fame athletes Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kirk Gibson.

2007 graduate Brian Neale was roaming about the campus, too, with this girlfriend Maren Gotchnik and fellow Spartan alumnus Manny Palazzolo.

Neale and Gotchnik live in Durham, N.C., and travel north to catch at least one MSU game a year.

“We drove in last night, we had an amazing truck stop dinner in West Virginia somewhere, it was a buffet full of amazing fried chicken and mac and cheese,” Neale said. “So here we are meeting all the ‘Spartys’ to have a great day.”

Gotchnik said she has attended many games with Neale and her most memorable with him was the Michigan-Michigan State game last year at Spartan Stadium.

“That was just a great atmosphere, awesome time,” Gotchnik said. “I think this means everything. I think it is the foundation of who [Brian Neale] is and [MSU] just makes him a bigger and better person everyday.”

Neale said him and Gotchnik will be meeting up with his parents at the alumni tailgate.

“My parents are driving down too from Flint today, so we are going to do our Thanksgiving today at the football game,” Neale said. “So it will be an unconventional Thanksgiving dinner.”

Palazzolo, who graduate from MSU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, is from Canton, Ohio and thinks the game is going to be “hard-fought.”

“Last week was their best game of the year, I think they will come out strong and Shelton will take one to the house today,” Palazzolo said.

Neale chimed in: “I like the attitude!” he said.

“It is going to come down to the last possession and Geiger gives us the win,” Palazzolo said. “We haven’t seen him in about a month; he’s due. We need a Geiger appearance.”

Also tailgating were Dave and Kassia Campbell. Dave Campbell graduate from MSU in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and he and Kassia now live in Novi, Mich.

“One of the couples that we tailgate with up at the football games they are from Columbus, State grads, they drive up to MSU from Columbus for every home game, every tailgate,” Dave Campbell said. “So we decided you know, if they come up all the time we would come down and join them.”

The Spartans and Buckeyes will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST and the game will be aired on ABC/ESPN.