Banks was in town promoting Alltel Wireless’ “My Circle 1st & 10” sweepstakes, which gives Spartan fans a chance to win free service for 20,000 people.

The State News: How far do you think MSU can go this year?

Carl Banks: I believe they could have a minimum of eight wins, and I think they could get in there at nine. I think at minimum they’re an eight-win team, though.

SN: What gives you the confidence that they will make it to a bowl game this year?

CB: Well, you look at how they’ve started. Winning is important, but coming off of last year, to see the attitude, just shows winning is contagious, and if they can get off to an early start, momentum starts carrying them. You go 3-0, you beat Notre Dame at 4, this team you won’t have to worry about it being motivated against Wisconsin. They’re going to play very tough for the rest of the schedule.

SN: Coach Mark Dantonio is placing a big emphasis on linking the present with the past. How important is that for a football team?

CB: I think it’s really important especially for a program such as the one here at Michigan State. There has to be established, or reestablished, a sense of history, a sense of heritage, a sense of some of the great players and some of the great battles this team has had.

SN: So, looking at the MSU football team you played on in the early ’80s, how would you characterize the identity of MSU football back then?

CB: Fractured. You had Darryl Rogers, who had put the program on probation, still some pretty good players. But then we had the Muddy Waters-era and the George Perles era and though we had some really good players, we didn’t win a lot of football games. We produced a lot of professional athletes out of those years.

SN: What’s different about it now?

CB: Right when George Perles came on board was my last few years here at Michigan State, and that’s when he really established a heritage. And the outlook was different, the work ethic was different. We were a much more focused football team, and I think from that point Michigan State football took on a different identity and ended up going to the Rose Bowl and winning. So, the identity of Michigan State football became special again, and then there was somewhat of a disconnect.

You had some coaching changes, but I just think that now if you fast forward from the ’80s to 2007, the dots would be connected.

SN: One of Dantonio’s top priorities has been winning the respect back of the fans. You were on a team that struggled a little bit to pull together some winning seasons. How hard is it to win that respect back?

CB: Well, the most disappointing piece of it is being away from Michigan State for so long and looking at it from the outside — the program is not respected on a national level. It’s worthy of more than it gets. And I think he understands it because he’s been outside of the program, and he knows it’s a great program and it has so much heritage and history.

But it’s not respected in the manner of some other institutions of even lesser prominence.

And I think that he really wants to make this program seep into the consciousness of the college football fan.

SN: MSU’s had fast starts in the past under John L. Smith. What makes this one different?

CB: I think it’s built a little different. I think the philosophy is a little different. You look at the legacy and the heritage, and the coaching tree. It started with Duffy Daugherty, who George Perles is a disciple of.

Nick Saban is a disciple of George Perles and coach Dantonio is a disciple of Nick Saban. So you connect the dots.

SN: So do you think hiring Smith was a mistake?

CB: Hindsight is 20/20 vision. So you really can’t say that, but I’m happy that there is a coach with roots to Michigan State. I couldn’t be happier that coach Mark Dantonio is here.