If they win the rest of their games, they’ll be guaranteed a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big Ten championship game Dec. 3.

“Win No. 7. We go to Iowa next week,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “Any way you cut it, seven wins, 4-1 in the conference, and we’re right there. We’ve just got to keep winning.

“We survived one playoff win as far as I’m concerned. One playoff game, and we advance, and that’s how we have to challenge ourselves and take this.”

MSU is in the driver’s seat in the division because Nebraska (7-2, 3-2) fell 28-25 to Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) on Saturday. But at the end of the day, the Spartans likely would have to win their last four games to stand a chance at going to the championship game.

In their first game in the attempt to be undefeated in November, the Spartans realized they needed to step up against the Golden Gophers (2-7, 1-4) to keep their season goals alive.

Coming out of the first quarter being down 14-7, sophomore linebacker Denicos Allen said the team got a wake-up call and began to understand the gravity of the game.

“The emotion — it wasn’t really there early in the game,” Allen said. “We needed a reality check, and it took two touchdowns, unfortunately, for us to have it. But we got it and had time to step up our game.”

Although not in the same position as MSU, players said Minnesota played with the same energy like it was a playoff game for them too.

Gopher quarterback MarQueis Gray — who stands at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds — caught MSU a little off guard with his play-making abilities and his emotion, playing like he had his season on the line as well, Allen said.

Gray completed 19 of 32 passes for 295 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions — both by senior safety Trenton Robinson. He also led Minnesota’s running game with 21 carries for 71 yards.

“He’s a great athlete,” sophomore linebacker Max Bullough said. “Even on film, he doesn’t look as good, I think, as when you actually play him. When you play him, he’s a big, physical athlete, and luckily, we were able to stop him when it really mattered.”

The key play in stopping Gray and the Gophers and keeping MSU’s championship hopes alive was at the end of the fourth quarter when Minnesota swiftly was moving up the field, and Robinson intercepted a pass at the MSU 23-yard line.

Players said the one-and-done mentality only works if they fight until the end, and Robinson’s play kept MSU in the Legends Division race and sealed the Spartans’ win.

“Coming back on that last play — it’s never over, as we all know now,” Dantonio said. “It’s never over.”

Because there’s no room for error for the rest of the season, added emphasis is placed on MSU’s trip to Iowa City, Iowa, next weekend. As it’s been said all season, the Spartans’ goals still are in front of them with Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern standing in their way of playing Dec. 3.

“We know what has to be done,” Robinson said. “Every game is a must-win game. As the season continues to go on, the games are going to get harder. People are beat up more, but we know we have to continue to push forward.”