Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10
Road Trip!
With a zero on the right side of its record, Michigan State stands in rare company in late October. The 7-0 Spartans are one of just 10 remaining schools, and there will be at most eight after this weekend, that are undefeated. Surprising Sparty, however, is all alone in one category: interstate commerce.
When Michigan State kicks off at Northwestern at 11 a.m. local time Saturday, it will mark the first time all season the East Lansing-based program will have left the confines of its home state. It will be the last school to have played a game outside its state's borders this season. The Spartans have played five games at Spartan Stadium, one at Ford Field in Detroit (versus Florida Atlantic), and one at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
"We looked at the schedule in the summer," Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins said on Tuesday, "and knew that was going to be a great help if we were going to have a special season."
Michigan State last started 7-0 in 1966, the year in which it finished 9-0-1. The Spartans will bus the 240 miles to Evanston for Saturday's game. A victory would set up a terrific showdown the following weekend at Iowa, the last remaining ranked team on the schedule.
"I believe that football teams are measured over the course of 12 games," said head coach Mark Dantonio. "Right now we're a 7-0 football team. If we falter, we're a 7-5 football team."
True. But, for a team that has not had to travel much this season, Michigan State is in the Big Ten driver's seat.
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