Big Ten Focus #9 : Michigan State

 The Michigan State Spartans joined the conference in 1950, four years after the University of Chicago departed.  That restored the conference's roster to ten teams, revived the title "Big Ten", and established the lineup most fans are familiar with.

The Spartans enjoyed early success, winning the conference for the first time in 1953.  They won the conference twice in the 1960s, once in the 70s and 80s, and won it again in 1990.  They then went 20 years before winning in 2010, and followed that with titles in 2013 and 2015.  2010 was the last year before a conference title game was played, and they entered the first Big Ten Championship Game as defending champion and winner of the Legends Division.  They lost to Wisconsin that year, but won both of their next two Big Ten Championship Game appearances.  Both of those teams were led by QB Connor Cook, who was the Player of the Game in both of those championships.

What most people forget is that Alabama coach Nick Saban previously was the head coach of the Spartans.  Saban took the Alabama job after failing as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.  The job he LEFT to take the Miami job was the head coach of Michigan State.  In his five years as the Spartans coach, he amassed a 58.5% record, at the time the third best record among coaches since the team joined the conference.  Two of the most successful coaches have been their last two:  current coach Mel Tucker (65%) and previous coach Mark Dantonio (66.7%), the coach of their last three conference titles.

There have been a few significant players from Michigan State that graduated into the NFL.  The current Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is one, but perhaps the greater quarterback was the engineer of the only unbeaten team in NFL history -- Earl Morrall of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  One of the most iconic defenders of all time, Bubba Smith, was also a Spartan.  Other significant players:  WRs Andre Rison and Charles Rogers, RB Lorenzo White, OLs Tony Mandarich and Flozell Adams, DB Brad Van Pelt, and punter Brandon Fields.