FOOTBALL
Rolled over
Using a dominating performance all over the field, No. 15 Alabama rolled No. 7 MSU, 49-7, in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
MSU can help Big Ten make a stand against SEC
Orlando, Fla. — When No. 7 MSU and No. 15 Alabama meet on Saturday, it will be one of three Big Ten vs. SEC New Year’s Day matchups that will go a long way in determining conference standing next season. The Big Ten is 14-15 against SEC in the last 11 years.
FOOTBALL
Alabama and MSU rely on playmakers
Orlando, Fla. — When looking at No. 7 MSU and No. 15 Alabama, there is no shortage of offensive playmakers at the running back and wide receiver positions, as both teams feature game-changing talent. In their last media briefing before Saturday’s Capital One Bowl, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio and Alabama head coach Nick Saban talked about limiting huge plays and making tackles.
FOOTBALL
MSU looks for a boost into the elite
The league of the elite in college football is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. This season, the MSU football team has been doing everything it can to get noticed and let in the door to join the rest of college football’s elite.
FOOTBALL
Treadwell named Miami (Ohio) head coach
MSU offensive coordinator Don Treadwell has been named the head coach at Miami (Ohio).
FOOTBALL
Spartans fans take Orlando
Orlando, Fla. — When MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis was campaigning to bowl officials to choose the No. 7 Spartans for a BCS game following their 11-1 Big Ten championship season, one of his main selling points was the willingness of the Green and White fans to travel anywhere in the country to watch their team play. The Spartans didn’t receive a bid to a BCS bowl, but fans are proving Hollis right in Orlando, Fla.
FOOTBALL
Cunningham to miss Capital One Bowl
Junior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham will miss the 2011 Capital One Bowl with a broken foot, MSU announced Tuesday.
FOOTBALL
Spartans ready for underdog role one more time
The Spartans find themselves as double-digit underdogs against defending national champion No. 15 Alabama in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, but that should come as no surprise to the Spartans.
FOOTBALL
Alabama intimidates with balanced offense
Alabama will bring a balanced offense and a large intimidation factor to the Capital One Bowl matchup with the No. 7 MSU football team.
FOOTBALL
Workouts during suspension paid off for receivers Dell and Cunningham
After being suspended for last season’s bowl game, wide receivers Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham are excited for this year’s Capital One Bowl matchup with No. 15 Alabama. The senior and junior worked hard in the winter with junior quarterback Kirk Cousins, which had a large impact on the success of this year’s 11-1 season.
FOOTBALL
MSU linebacker Jones repeats as All-American
MSU senior linebacker Greg Jones was named to The Associated Press All-America first team Tuesday.
FOOTBALL
Big Ten announces division names, logo
The Big Ten revealed a new logo and announced division names Monday. The divisions are called Legends and Leaders.
FOOTBALL
Spartans get back to work in preparation for Capital One Bowl
It only was three weeks ago that the No. 7 MSU football team beat Penn State to clinch a share of the Big Ten championship. But for junior receiver Keith Nichol and the rest of the Spartans, those three weeks have felt like an eternity.
FOOTBALL
Capital matchup
As expected, Mark Dantonio and his No. 7 MSU football team were denied a BCS bid in favor of fellow conference champions Ohio State and Wisconsin. And yet, when the Spartans take on No. 15 Alabama in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2011, in Orlando, Fla., Dantonio said he believes it will be MSU’s bowl game that is the best matchup involving any Big Ten team, including the Rose and Sugar bowls.
FOOTBALL
Dantonio prepares to face former mentor, Saban
About 11 years ago, T.J. Duckett was a confused 18-year-old freshman. Then a bruising tailback for the MSU football team, which was preparing to take on Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl, Duckett was with the Spartans in large part because he wanted to play for then-head coach Nick Saban.
FOOTBALL
Breakdown: MSU vs. Alabama
When the Spartans and No. 15 Crimson Tide play in the Capital One Bowl, set for 1 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2011, in Orlando, Fla., plenty will be at stake, including conference bragging rights and the chance to ring in their new year with a victory.
FOOTBALL
Tide hasn't lived up to expectations
A 9-3 overall record, 5-3 conference record and a berth in the Capital One Bowl versus the No. 7 ranked MSU Spartans would be considered a successful season at most programs across the country. Not at Alabama.
FOOTBALL
Chance to help brand for Big Ten in bowls
The Big Ten will begin bowl season Dec. 28, and, as has been the case in previous seasons, will go in having to earn every ounce of respect it’s going to get.
FOOTBALL
Spartan Nation Destination
Jamie Burns has been a Spartan his whole life, going to MSU sporting events since childhood. Burns, now a biosystems engineering freshman, went to every home football game this year and made trips to Ann Arbor University Park, Pa., and Evanston, Ill., to watch games. Now, he and his family have one final destination and one final game in one of the best seasons in MSU football history — Orlando, Fla., for the Capital One Bowl.