Michigan State Rise To National Prominence.

Early in my life, Michigan State was more of a basketball school than football school and more of the people I grew up were Michigan fans. In the years where Bobby Williams and John L. Smith roamed the sidelines at Spartan stadium the Michigan State football program had basically hit rock bottom in Nick Saban’s last year in East Lansing before he bolted for the SEC and LSU they went 10-2 little did Spartans fans know they wouldn’t reach 10 wins for a whole decade.

Bobby Williams had a 16-17 record in his three years at Michigan State while John L. Smith it wasn’t any better as in four years Smith went 22-26.

Between the two they won only one bowl game as head coach of Michigan State and only played in two bowl games. All hope seemed lost and the Michigan State program was in shambles.

On November 27th, 2006 Michigan State would hire yet another coach in Mark Dantonio. Dantonio was highly regarded as an up and coming coach and was specifically remembered as the defensive coordinator at Ohio State when they won the National Championship in 2002 against Miami. Before coming to Michigan State he was at Cincinnati, where Dantonio compiled an 18-17 overall record in his three years at Cincinnati and led the program in its transition to the BIG EAST Conference. He became the first head coach in 23 years to direct a team to a winning season in his first year at UC. The Bearcats’ went 7-5 in 2004.

Dantonio came into a situation that featured a good Michigan and Ohio State squads and would inherit a rough position to get out of.

"In his introductory press conference “If you have an opportunity to compete against the best, you can become the best,” Dantonio said. “You have the opportunity to measure up.”"

In his first year at Michigan State he made the Champs Sports Bowl, it was Michigan State’s first bowl appearance since the 2003 Alamo Bowl.

Dantonio became a Michigan State legend when Mike Hart referred to Michigan State as “Little Brother” after Michigan came back to win in Spartan Stadium, to which Dantonio came back with a quote that Michigan State fans would live by “Pride comes before the fall.”

In Dantonio’s first four years, Michigan State played in four bowl games and lost all four it seemed they could never get over the hump. Michigan State lost to Boston College, Georgia, Texas Tech and Alabama an outscored by a combined score of 138-71.

In 2010, Michigan State HC Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack after the Notre Dame game known for the Fake FG in OT known as Little Giants

Michigan State would win eleven games for the first time in program history. Michigan State would play Alabama in the Capital One Bowl that season only to be blown out 49-7 against a team in Alabama that won the National Championship a year before and would win it again a year after.

Mark Dantonio and Michigan State wouldn’t let that setback the good things Michigan State had going. In 2011 they would once again reach eleven wins while beating Michigan for the fourth straight year. Michigan State’s only loss came against Notre Dame the most memorable part of that season was Michigan State’s victory over Wisconsin known for the Hail Mary.

Michigan State would yet again play in a bowl game this time against Georgia.

In an entertaining game, Michigan State would win its first bowl game under Mark Dantonio by the score of 33-30 in triple overtime.

Over the course, of 2012 it was Dantonio’s worst year since 2009 as he went 7-6, but won his second straight bowl game this time over TCU 17-16.

In 2013, before the season Mark Dantonio preached “We are the ones” Dantonio meant Michigan State would reach its first Rose Bowl since 1988 and Michigan State would. Michigan State went undefeated in the Big Ten Conference, Michigan State’s only loss came to Notre Dame in South Bend that featured many questionable calls.

Michigan State would roll into the Big Ten game where they would Urban Meyer and The Ohio State Buckeyes up until that point Ohio State didn’t lose a game, but Michigan State had other things in mind.

Michigan State led 17-14 over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and after Ohio St took a 24-20 lead Michigan State would not look back ending Ohio State’s 24 game winning streak 34-24.

Michigan State would go to the Rose Bowl. Mark Dantonio had said the 2013 team would be the one to take the Spartans back to the Rose Bowl. They would go on to  beat Stanford 24-20. Michigan State would finish with yet another milestone as they recorded most wins in program history as they went 13-1.

Michigan State would win 11 games yet again in 2014 only to lose to the National Champion in Ohio State and runner-ups in Oregon.  Michigan State would complete the season on a high note by keeping Dantonio’s Bowl Winning streak alive as MSU made a miraculous comeback against Baylor after trailing 41-21.  The Spartan resolve and determination that showed in that game stems from their head coach Mark Dantonio who at one point took a broken yet mediocre program in Michigan State and turned them into contenders. Michigan State’s comeback against Baylor 42-41 thrust the Spartans onto the big stage and into national relevance.

The win over Baylor resulted in Michigan State’s school record fourth straight bowl win and second straight New Year’s Day bowl win. Michigan State finished the season ranked #5 in both polls (tied with Florida State in the AP poll) while Baylor finished #7 in the AP and #8 in the Coaches. It was the first time since the 1965 and 1966 seasons that the Spartans had finished consecutive seasons ranked in the top five. The Spartans sent off beloved defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, who had taken the Pittsburgh football head coaching job on December 23rd, with a memorable victory.

Michigan State would finish in the top five. They had  the goal of being in the inaugural College Football Playoff but that wasn’t in the cards.

However what Dantonio has been able to accomplish at Michigan State is a Cinderella story of sorts. If you would’ve told me back in 2004 Michigan State would basically own Michigan and be a National Power, I would’ve called you nuts.

Here we are 2015 and Michigan State is coming off another eleven win season, three out of the last four years they have finished with eleven wins and four straight bowl wins and the last two years have finished in the AP Top 25.

Michigan State is on a roll and it doesn’t appear it’s stopping anytime soon. Obviously Ohio State and now with the hire of Jim Harbaugh maybe Michigan makes Dantonio’s job much harder, but you can’t doubt Dantonio and what he’s been able to do at Michigan State I don’t think you can doubt MSU is here to stay.

Michigan State isn’t a school that will “Wow” you with its stars and recruiting rankings, but it doesn’t matter to Michigan State under Mark Dantonio Michigan State has sent 20 players to the NFL, the saying ‘less is more’ with Michigan State is accurate.

Often times in sports, we forget the bad times when everything is good.

Michigan State has seen enough bad times overtime to relish what’s special with their program, MSU isn’t going to ‘wow’ you with their flashiness of Oregon or power of an Alabama but like their coach they just find away to get the job done and that’s something special.

It’s easy to say with Ohio State the defending National Champ, Michigan State’s run is over. However you’d be mistaken to sleep on Dantonio and Michigan State.

MSU is here to stay, like it or not the calming influence of Dantonio and the success the past few season has fueled Michigan State for the long haul.