But when the Spartans beat then-No. 11 Wisconsin Saturday at Spartan Stadium to move to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten, they proved the transformation is complete.
The Badgers came into East Lansing believed to be bigger, stronger and simply better than MSU. However, when the final seconds ticked off the clock, there was no doubt which team was more physical, which team could execute when it had to and which team was better prepared to make a run at a conference championship.

From the opening kickoff to the closing moments, the Spartans beat Wisconsin at its own game. Using the Badgers’ formula of an unstoppable rushing attack complemented by an effective aerial assault and stout defense, MSU outplayed Wisconsin in virtually every aspect of the game.

Playing smashmouth football typical of Big Ten Championship teams, the Spartans took the first step toward accomplishing something they haven’t done since 1990.

It wasn’t that long ago MSU had a chance at conference championship glory, though. In 2008, the Green and White traveled to Happy Valley to play No. 7 Penn State in the final game of the season. A win guaranteed the Spartans a share of the conference crown, while a loss left them with nothing.

Losing to the Nittany Lions 49-18, MSU was run out of State College, Pa., with its tail between its legs and its championship hopes dashed.

Much like Spartan teams of recent history, the 2008 squad had some of the qualities apparent in a championship-caliber team, but not quite enough of what it takes to come out on top.

Against the Badgers on Saturday, MSU had it all.

When head coach Mark Dantonio was admitted to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital on Thursday after a blood clot was discovered in his leg, the Spartans were left at a great disadvantage, knowing their boss would not be at Saturday’s game.

As any championship team would, though, the MSU players did not let adversity affect them. Instead, everyone from coaches to players rallied around their absent leader and did whatever it took to win.

That resolve to battle through thick and thin is not something usually seen from a football team out of East Lansing.

The clutch plays made by the offense and defense to put away Wisconsin late in Saturday’s game also are new to the Spartans’ faithful.

Early in the fourth quarter, holding on to a 27-17 lead, MSU surrendered a touchdown pass from Badgers’ quarterback Scott Tolzien, cutting the lead to three. When anyone who has been following the program for years would expect the Spartans to crumble and give the game away, the entire team collectively stepped up.

Responding immediately to Wisconsin’s score, MSU junior quarterback Kirk Cousins led the offense on a 15-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass from Cousins to junior receiver B.J. Cunningham. Throughout the drive, the Spartans made big plays, converting on three third-and-longs while keeping the Badgers’ offense off the field for more than eight minutes.

With 2:37 left in the game, Wisconsin still had a chance to come back, but it was the MSU defense’s turn to perform in the clutch. And by pressuring Tolzien and making plays in the secondary, it did just that, giving the ball back to Cousins to ice the game away.

Although it might be considered irrational by some to assume the Spartans are a championship contender after just one conference game, it is impossible to ignore that something is different about the MSU football team. With a pivotal matchup against No. 18 Michigan (5-0, 1-0) coming up next week in Ann Arbor, the Spartans will have another chance to prove that is the case.

And if MSU comes out the same way it did against the Badgers, dreams of Big Ten Championships and Rose Bowls will be a possible reality in East Lansing.

Jeremy Warnemuende is a State News football reporter. Reach him at warnemu3@msu.edu.