Opportunity is knocking at the MSU football team’s door. It’s wearing an old gold and black uniform and is carrying a No. 17 ranking, and as a team it is gaining national recognition.
Opportunity is the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Coming into the season, the expectations of the Spartans were sky high. They were ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 and moved up a spot before they played one game.
Many experts expected them to go into Big Ten play undefeated and may be even undefeated going into the Michigan game. And a few experts even fixed their fingers to type the words “Darkhorse National Champion.”
I won’t lie, I bought into the hype.
With junior quarterback Jeff Smoker and junior wide receiver Charles Rogers returning as the one of the best pass-catch combinations in the country, many thought the duo would carry the team.
A season similar to 1999 - the Spartans were 10-2 - seemed very possible.
But five games into this season, the Spartans have matched the loss total in 1999 with back-to-back losses to California and Notre Dame. One very bad setback to the Golden Bears and the other was a heart-breaking defeat to the Fighting Irish.
But that means nothing now.
The Spartans started conference play on a good note by defeating Northwestern 39-24, and a victory this weekend is not out of the question - even though the history would not agree.
In the last two seasons, the Spartans are 1-7 in conference road games, and Iowa and Kinnick Stadium are next on the docket. And MSU hasn’t won in Iowa City since 1989. The Hawkeyes boast a 5-1 record, including a 2-0 conference record.
This is MSU’s opportunity to get back into the national spotlight. The team has faded into the background, while one player garners all of the attention.
At the beginning of the season, the Spartans were perceived as possibly a very good team with a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. Now, MSU is the school Charles Rogers plays for.
However, heading into Iowa that all could change or become more true.
Indeed this will be a gridiron test. But we all know the Spartans can pass.
To challenge for the Big Ten title this year, MSU needs to be successful on the road. The four road games this season: Iowa, at the Big House against Michigan on Nov. 2, at Indiana on Nov. 9, and a visit to Happy Valley to take on Penn State to end the regular season.
With the exception of Indiana, who would struggle to contend for the Sun Belt conference title, all the other teams MSU will face on the road will contend for the championship.
Saturday is the first step toward a goal the Spartans have been practicing for months. If a victory on the road doesn’t happen this weekend, when does it happen.
The Big House isn’t a place a team wants to go looking for its first win on the road.
Considering how far the team is into the season and the caliber of Iowa, this game may be the most accurate measuring stick the Spartans have for the rest of the season.
MSU needs to do something they haven’t done all year - make a statement. If the Spartans are to make a run in the Big Ten race, they need to start with Iowa.
The Hawkeyes have proven themselves as a legitimate Big Ten contender with victories over Penn State and Purdue so this is a golden opportunity.
Whether they answer the door is up to them.
Romando Dixson, State News football writer, can be reached at dixsonro@msu.edu.
