There is plenty of ammunition with which to launch an insult assault against the Michigan Wolverines this season, but I’m going to take the high road (I-96, not U.S. 23) in this annual tradition of bashing each other’s team.

I will not say one bad word about Michigan fans or the football program in this space.

I know the fans in Ann Arbor are all-consumed by their beloved Wolverines, so I’m going to tell you a little bit about what’s going on in East Lansing with the MSU football team:

The Spartans have a winning record (6-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) after two-thirds of the season. It started with a close road loss at Pac-10 foe California, which was disheartening but somewhat expected given the game was a season opener on the West Coast.

MSU followed up the loss by BEATING A MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE TEAM, shutting out a pesky Florida Atlantic squad in a downpour and CRUSHING NOTRE DAME to finish the nonconference schedule.

After three consecutive Big Ten victories — Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern — to start the conference season, the Spartans ran into the buzz saw of Terrelle Pryor, Chris “Beanie” Wells and the dominant Ohio State defense last week (you’ll get to know all of them soon enough).

MSU is led by a RELIABLE QUARTERBACK, Brian Hoyer, who has thrown only four interceptions while leading his team to BOWL ELIGIBILITY early in the season.

In the backfield, the Spartans boast a stockpile of RUNNING BACKS WHO HAVEN’T BEEN ARRESTED THIS YEAR, led by senior Doak Walker Award candidate Javon Ringer. The VETERAN OFFENSIVE LINE has helped pave the way for Ringer to rack up 1,179 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in just eight games while giving Hoyer ample time to hit his relatively young group of wide receivers.

The constantly improving MSU defense has been up-and-down, with strong performances against Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame and Iowa and less-than-stellar outings against California, Indiana and Ohio State.

(It looks like the Wolverines are experiencing the same yo-yo effect on defense with a solid showing against Wisconsin but collapses at the hands of Illinois and Penn State).

On special teams, the Spartans boast Brett Swenson, an IMPRESSIVE KICKER WHO DOESN’T CHOKE and has connected on 15 straight kicks after missing his first of the season, and NORMALLY NAMED PUNTER Aaron Bates, who has routinely pinned opponents inside their own 5-yard line all season.

Roaming the sidelines is Mark Dantonio, A CLASSY COACH leading one of the best up-and-coming teams in the country.

Dantonio displayed his integrity at MSU even before he arrived in East Lansing; he DIDN’T SCREW OVER HIS FORMER EMPLOYER before coming to MSU, choosing to wait until the end of Cincinnati’s season prior to interviewing with MSU officials for the head coaching position.

According to players and recruits, Dantonio and his coaches have instilled a solid foundation of FAMILY VALUES while taking the team to a BOWL GAME IN THE STAFF’S FIRST SEASON.

In recruiting, Dantonio and his assistants have hit the Midwest hard, RESPECTING THE IN-STATE PROSPECTS that are the basis of slug-it-out Big Ten football.

The Spartans have snagged 16 recruits for a top-15 class of 2008 (which puts them in the same class as U-M this season).

The MSU football program appears to be HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, and a win in Ann Arbor on Saturday should continue its ascension to the top of the Big Ten.

Just like the Wolverines program, right?

Jacob Carpenter is a football reporter for The State News. Hate mail can be sent to carpe219@msu.edu, but there shouldn’t be any hate mail, since nothing bad was said about Michigan.