“Definitely, Michigan is in a whole other category of their own,” senior running back Javon Ringer said. “Michigan is the biggest game of the year for us. We could lose every other game this year, as long as we win (this week).”

As hard as it is to imagine, MSU hasn’t always embraced this rivalry the way it does now. Under the direction of former MSU head coach John L. Smith, who coached the Spartans from 2003-06, the U-M matchup was viewed as just another game.

Surprising?

“It was a little surprising,” junior linebacker Adam Decker said. “But at the time none of us probably knew any better. We just figured that was how every coach did it.”

Enter current MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, who came to East Lansing in 2005 and proved that Smith’s outlook wasn’t the only way to perceive the rivalry.

In his first year at the helm, Dantonio installed clocks that counted down to the U-M game all year long. Now in his second year, not much has changed under Dantonio. The countdown clocks are back and the urgency to beat the Wolverines is still there.

“For me, the reason we put a clock out there is because these are the games we should look forward to, not dread,” said Dantonio, whose Spartans lost to U-M 28-24 last season at Spartan Stadium. “These are games where they talk about them after the fact, regardless of who wins … these are the games you should look forward to. Rivalry games are meant to be that.”

Although Smith didn’t look at the U-M game with the same intensity as Dantonio, many players always knew how important the game was and treated it as such. Senior defensive tackle Justin Kershaw said he’s always wanted to beat U-M, while Ringer said he doesn’t want to end his collegiate career without having beaten one specific opponent — especially U-M.

Having their coach point to the U-M game as the biggest game of the year is something players agree is refreshing.

“Coach Dantonio puts in the perspective that this is the most important game and I don’t know if the emphasis was there before,” senior quarterback Brian Hoyer said. “But you have to make it the most important game, you don’t just compete with these guys one day — you compete with them on a daily basis, whether it’s recruiting or other sports.

“They’re right down the road. It’s just like competing against your neighbor, and that’s what’s made it more important … it is the biggest game of the year.”