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Michigan State football: Spartans poised for college football playoff appearance

By The Sports Xchange
Michigan State's Connor Cook will lead the Spartans as they aim for a Big Ten title and a spot in the college football playoff. Ian Halperin/UPI
1 of 4 | Michigan State's Connor Cook will lead the Spartans as they aim for a Big Ten title and a spot in the college football playoff. Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has been hammering home one point since the Spartans rallied to beat Baylor in the Cotton Bowl - his team is selling results.

No longer is it hope, like it was in November of 2006 when Dantonio, then the coach at Cincinnati, took over a Michigan State program that hadn't sniffed any level of consistent success in more than a decade.

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The years of mediocrity and inconsistency had left the program with no direction. However, what Dantonio has done in his eight seasons has been nothing short of remarkable, winning 11 or more games in four of the last five seasons.

The Spartans have played in a bowl game in each of those eight season, winning the last four, including the Rose Bowl. They've captured two Big Ten titles and handed Ohio State coach Urban Meyer his only loss against a conference opponent in the 2013 Big Ten title game.

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After two straight top-five finishes in the national rankings, Michigan State is among the elite. The Spartans are ranked No. 5 in the preseason Associated Press poll, the same spot they finished last season.

Needless to say, the results speak for themselves.

However, that doesn't mean the Spartans are resting on their laurels. They understand they didn't reach their goals last season, losing to Oregon and Ohio State.

And it doesn't make them feel any better that those were the teams playing in the national title game. They know how good they are, but the want more.

"We're here but we need to go farther," Dantonio said. "We're already up there. We're competing at a very high level. But we need to go a little bit higher to get where we want to be.

"There's no guarantees in any season. You get evaluated at the end of the season and we have our first challenge as we go over to Western Michigan. We'll come ready to play and we'll come fresh."

With a rematch coming next week against Oregon, Dantonio is convinced his team's focus and maturity will be on display when it faces a Western Michigan team that won eight games a year ago.

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"Our football team has always done a great job in terms of focusing on the present, focusing on the moment," Dantonio said. "But especially in your first game, I don't think people look too far in advance. Pretty much everybody concentrates on that first game. Our focus is entirely on Western. It has been here since probably late last week. We're looking forward to the moment."

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

--QB Connor Cook enters his senior season with a 23-3 mark as a starter and has led the Spartans to wins in the Big Ten Championship game as well as Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl victories. However, he has played in the shadow of the quarterback crew at Ohio State, and might again this season. But that doesn't mean he won't get noticed. After throwing for more than 3,000 yards last season, he is a darkhorse in the Heisman Trophy race and could end up being a high draft pick in the spring. He has a veteran offensive line protecting him and if he has a standout year it could lead the Spartans to a playoff spot.

--RB Madre London has taken control of the running race through preseason camp, bettering sophomore Gerald Holmes and freshman LJ Scott, as well as junior Delton Williams. It's been a tight race to replace Jeremy Langford and it could still end up being a group effort, but at 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, London has shown the size and speed to be effective and will get the first shot to be the Spartans' main ball carrier.

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--S Montae Nicholson started three games last season as a true freshman and has been the talk of preseason camp as he takes over as a full-time starter. At 6-2 and nearly 220 pounds, he certainly has the size but he's also one of the fastest players on the team. He placed in the long jump in the Big Ten indoor track meet last spring and is on the verge of becoming a star in the Michigan State secondary. He's also dabbled on the offensive side of the ball, and a few plays at receiver wouldn't be out of the question.

SERIES HISTORY: Michigan State leads 11-2 (Michigan State won, 26-13, in 2013)

QUOTE TO NOTE: "To me, as long as it's packed, it's all the same. No difference to me. If it's packed, it's all the same. I'm sure it will be packed and there will be a lot of green there. Be exciting." - Dantonio on opening the season at Western Michigan's Waldo Stadium

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