Spartans Yearn for a Good Old Day

Game of the Week

No. 3 Michigan (5-0, 2-0) at No. 11 Michigan State (5-0, 2-0); Saturday 9 a.m.

The schools are 55 miles apart, but it’s more than that in football yardage, Michigan dominating the series in style and substance.

Michigan State hasn’t had a winning decade against its intrastate rival since the glory days of Coach Duffy Daugherty, who went 7-2-1 against Michigan in the 1960s.

Since then, the Spartans have gone 1-9 in the ‘70s, 2-8 in the ‘80s and 3-6 in the ‘90s.

You want omens? The last time the teams were unbeaten before their game was Oct. 14, 1961, when both schools were 2-0. Michigan State routed Michigan, 28-0, before a crowd of 103,198 in Ann Arbor.

This game always has local interest.

“It’s hard to go through a day without confronting someone from the other side,” Michigan State Coach Nick Saban says. “It’s a big game, obviously, maybe even a bigger game because of the situation this season.”

The stakes nationally have never been greater, with Rose Bowl and/or national title implications awaiting the winner.

Don’t expect Michigan to go to East Lansing and bully its way to a win. Michigan State leads the nation in rushing defense, allowing opponents only 1.4 yards a carry.

Michigan will need to pass to win, and has the ability to do so with the pass-catch combination of Tom Brady/Drew Henson and David Terrell.

It’s a wonder Terrell doesn’t get more publicity. He did a pretty good Charles Woodson impression last week against Purdue, rushing once for 16 yards, catching two passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, and playing 46 snaps on defense to help combat Purdue’s spread offense.

The line: Michigan by 2 1/2.

5 Things to Look For

1. A Pac-10 silver lining. Please, anything? OK, if California can defeat No. 24 Brigham Young this weekend, it will improve the Pac-10’s record to 1-6 against ranked nonconference opponents. Now, the dark side. Eight of the conference’s 10 defenses rank 66th or worse in this week’s NCAA statistics. The only Pac-10 school in the top 50 is USC at No. 38, with Cal next at 51.

2. Hawaiian rice. June Jones wasn’t so dumb after all when he took the Hawaii job. Since USC extended Hawaii’s losing streak to 19 with a 62-7 thrashing, the Rainbow Warriors have won four consecutive games and can make it five Saturday against Rice. Inconceivable as it sounds, Hawaii needs only three more victories to guarantee a spot in one of two Christmas Day bowl games in Honolulu.

3. Our prices are insane! . . . if you play for Florida State. The latest scandal brewing in Tallahassee involves players getting outrageous discounts at Dillard’s department store. What’s outrageous? How about a tailor-made jacket for $4, sweaters for $2.75, and shoes for 87 cents?

4. David Allen on the move. The Kansas State specialist needs one more punt return for a touchdown to break the NCAA record of seven he shares with Oklahoma’s Jack Mitchell (1946-48) and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers (1970-72). Allen might not get a chance Saturday against Kansas if he plays tailback in place of the injured Frank Murphy. Coach Bill Snyder doesn’t want to wear Allen out.

5. Ohio State scrambling for its bowl life? Maybe. Because they play 12 games this year, the Buckeyes (3-2) need seven victories to qualify for a bowl. We’ll pencil in Ohio State triumphs over Iowa and Illinois, bringing the total to five, but the Buckeyes still have to win two of five games against Purdue, Penn State, Minnesota, Michigan State and Michigan, schools that have a combined record of 23-1.

RATING THE TV GAMES

**** Whoa, Nellie

*** Fix the car tomorrow

** OK to watch golf infomercials

* For WWF scouts only.

** Air Force (3-1) at Navy (2-3), 9 a.m., FSW

The game figures to be a so-so affair, but the pregame fly-over should be incredible.

Line: Air Force by 10 1/2.

** Missouri (3-1) at Colorado (2-2), 9:30 a.m., FSW2

Gary Barnett won’t need to dress up as Patton to inspire troops for this skirmish.

Line: Colorado by 11 1/2.

** Arizona State (2-2) at Notre Dame (2-3), 11:30 a.m., Channel 4

The Sun Devils won a last-minute game last week; Irish wonder what that’s like.

Line: Notre Dame by 12 1/2.

*** No. 8 Florida (4-1) at Louisiana State (2-2), 12:30 p.m., Channel 2

Look out, Baton Rouge: Spurrier’s Gators haven’t lost two in a row since 1992.

Line: Florida by 14.

** Southern Mississippi (2-2) at No. 16 East Carolina (5-0), 12:30 p.m., FSW

This is as good as it gets in Conference USA.

Line: Southern Mississippi by 1 1/2.

** Washington (2-2) at Oregon State (3-1), 3:30 p.m., Channel 9

Latest in series of Pac-10 games of the weak.

Line: Washington by 2 1/2.

** Iowa State (3-1) at No. 4 Nebraska (5-0), 3:30, FSW2

Cyclones blew their chance against K-State; now they get blown out by Cornhuskers.

Line: Nebraska by 30.

**** No. 10 Georgia (4-0) at No. 6 Tennessee (3-1), 4 p.m., ESPN

Georgia’s charmed season ends in Knoxville with ninth consecutive loss to Volunteers.

Line: Tennessee by 11.

** California (2-3) at No. 24 Brigham Young (3-1), 4 p.m., Channel 7

Pac-10 didn’t want this game, but Cal needed the check.

Line: BYU by 14.

** Clemson (1-2) at North Carolina State (3-2), 5 p.m., ESPN2

Hey, Clemson is No. 4, according to one BCS computer ranking.

Line: Clemson by 1 1/2.

** Rice (2-3) at Hawaii (4-1), 10 p.m. (delayed), FSW2.

NBC wonders if Hawaii would swap TV packages with Notre Dame.

Line: Hawaii by 1 1/2.