Ranking the top 5 Michigan State football vs. Notre Dame games

1. Little Giants - 2010

Maybe I'm showing a little recency bias here (or maybe I feel this way because I was at the game), but the top choice for me in this rivalry is the Little Giants win from 2010. The Spartans took down the Irish at home 34-31 in overtime, thanks to a fake field goal pass from punter Aaron Bates to Charlie Gantt to win the game.

This play is one of the greatest not just in Michigan State history, but in all of college football history.

Kirk Cousins threw the ball for 245 yards and two touchdowns and Le'Veon Bell added 114 rushing yards and one touchdown of his own. The Spartans trailed the Irish heading into the fourth quarter until Cousins threw an impressive touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham to tie the game at 28.

This game is also what propelled Michigan State to go on the historic run that we all experienced during the height of the Mark Dantonio era. MSU went on to win the Big Ten later that year for the first time under Dantonio, then proceeded to rattle off impressive season after impressive season. This included Big Ten championships in 2013 and 2015 as well as an appearance in the second ever College Football Playoff. MSU also had two 11-win seasons sprinkled in there in 2011 and 2014 as well.

This win not only was one of the greatest of all time in MSU's history, but it is the one win that we can point to that propelled Michigan State to their dominance of the early 2010s.

That's why this is the greatest game in the history of the Michigan State and Notre Dame rivalry.