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Michigan State will always be Michigan’s little brother, and that’s OK

By Connor Muldowney

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Over the years, the Michigan State vs. Michigan rivalry has developed a stigma. The Spartans had always been the underdog against the mighty Wolverines and played the role of ‘little brother’ — at least according to Mike Hart.

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Spartan greats have come and gone, and some have even gone winless against the hated in-state rival while others have had losing records.

The pot has been stirred several times, but since Mark Dantonio took over the MSU program in 2007, it’s been all Michigan State. The Wolverines have shuffled through three coaches over that time period and the Spartans have won six out of the past seven years, but the talk is always the same. Michigan State is still little brother.

That will never change. Michigan State will always be the Wolverines’ “little brother” for as long as we are alive, and that’s OK.

After the first MSU win in 2008, Michigan fans claimed the Spartans got lucky. Following the second in 2009, “it was a down year.” The third in 2010, “well, Rich Rodriguez sucks.” The fourth in 2011, “it’s Brady Hoke’s first year, we are rebuilding.”

Nov 2, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (98) is sacked by Michigan State Spartans defensive end Shilique Calhoun (89) during the 2nd half of a game at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 29-6. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Change was in the air in 2012, though. Michigan defeated the Spartans in Ann Arbor thanks to a last-second field goal, 12-10 final. “Michigan is back” and “it was only a matter of time” and “MSU is back to playing second-fiddle to the Wolverines” were all phrases used by that maize and blue fan base — but really, it’s just yellow and blue; let’s be honest.

Back to the drawing board and Dantonio came back in 2013 to blow the doors off the Wolverines, but “it’s because you guys were at home and Devin Gardner was awful.” Oh yeah, they were held to -48 rushing yards. Yes, negative.

Finally, we give you the 2014 season where it wasn’t even an accomplishment because, well, the Wolverines were going to fire Hoke anyway.

Michigan is red-hot to begin the 2015 season with Jim Harbaugh in charge. Yes, finally a good coach. I will admit that. A 5-1 start to a season in which Michigan fans had previously dubbed “a rebuilding year to get Harbaugh’s recruits in.”

Now that the Wolverines are 5-1 with two home wins over Top 25 foes, Michigan is now back and the Spartans are still “little brother.”

Ah, yes. The recent history of this rivalry claims otherwise, but we will let the Michigan fans bask in the glory of having a better all-time record. Especially when most of the wins have come before 1950.

In fact, since 1950, the all-time series is at a respectable 35-28-2 favoring the Wolverines. So next time someone brings up the record of 68-34-5, remind them that prior to 1950, it was 33-6-3 favoring the Wolverines with 37 of those 42 games played in Ann Arbor.

Sure, Michigan fans will always look at that all-time record to decide who the little brother is, but that’s OK. Michigan State will take the present-day wins over pre-1950 glory any day of the week.

Little brother is merely a title given to Michigan State by a fan base which has been worried about the Spartans rising up for some time now. That nickname will be grasped onto as a sense of hope for the future like a fat kid during the apocalypse would hold onto the last Twinkie in the world.

Sometime little brother is smarter, more athletic, stronger, wiser, more successful, more attractive and just plain better than older brother. Such is the case right now.

Embrace the little brother role, Spartan Nation.

Just remember: It will never be over.

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