Following MSU’s 26-20 overtime victory against Michigan, Nichol emphatically declared he is done with the quarterback battle with fellow sophomore Kirk Cousins.

“We’re together. This competition, this is over,” Nichol said. “We’re a tandem, we’re a team, we play for each other, we play for each other’s families, this is a family to a core.”

Maybe he’s right. Maybe we should stop focusing on who is throwing the ball. After all, this is coming from Nichol, the guy who has taken 75 fewer snaps this season, and he doesn’t seem too upset.

Almost halfway into the season, I believe we finally know who is going to take the snaps: both.

Yes, expect both Nichol and Cousins to be taking snaps in Champaign, Ill., this weekend, and again in Spartan Stadium and in Minneapolis. I think you get the picture.

Although many fans have screamed for head coach Mark Dantonio to make a decision on who will start at quarterback, I say he doesn’t need to.

Simply look at the numbers. MSU leads the Big Ten in passing with 300 yards per game and is second in passing efficiency.

Also, MSU leads the conference in total yardage but is in the bottom half in rushing yards.

The bottom line? The quarterbacks are not the problem.

People don’t need to worry about the quarterbacks, especially when the quarterbacks themselves don’t worry.

Playing both quarterbacks so much paid off against U-M, when Cousins tweaked his ankle. Instead of having some unproven backup come in, the Spartans sent in Nichol.

The fact that Cousins felt confident enough in Nichol shows just how much these guys trust in each other’s abilities.

“I think he felt like he wasn’t 100 percent and if he’s not 100 percent, I don’t think he felt like that was the best chance to win,” Nichol said. “He played extremely hard throughout the game and I’m proud of him.”

The relationship between Nichol and Cousins has grown into a friendship that has proven beneficial to the team.

“I think being the same age and being the same grade really makes this thing so special,” Nichol said. “Just to enjoy that (win against U-M) with him, he was the first person I was looking for when we won the game like that. I was kind of hoping we’d carry the (Paul Bunyan Trophy) off together but I think it snuck its way in the locker room before we got in there.”

We have reached a point in the season where there is no quarterback competition. The coaches know what both quarterbacks have to offer and there’s really nothing either guy can do to win the coaches over. Barring injury, which we have seen, Cousins will start games and Nichol will be in and out, just like we’ve seen all year.

And if the Spartans continue to put up 300 yards passing per game, who cares who it’s coming from?

Chris Vannini is a State News football reporter. He can be reached at vanninic@msu.edu.