MSU-Cal in prime time

Sometimes I just hate TV.

    MSU fans are probably excited about the fact, announced today, that the football season opener at Cal will be a regional ABC telecast at 8 p.m. Eastern. That's 5 p.m. local, for the Spartans' first game at Berkeley since 1957.
    Sounds great, huh? Some Saturday night fun for the season opener? Well, please take a moment to think about the ink-stained wretches. The ABC 3:30 games are bad enough for deadline. But 8 p.m.? We're lucky to get a few coherent thoughts strung together mixed in with a quote or two before the presses have to start.
    Oh, for the days when every game started at 1.
    By the way, this is MSU's 64th straight live TV appearance, dating to 2002. The streak will never end.

Comments

[Goldy Bear]

Michigan State is going down, Cal loves the big stage. We've got a great team this year and The Spartans don't have a prayer. Let Go Bears!!!!!

[stone]

it was obvious to see this one coming, but it's still good news. and hopefully we can assume that if its blacked out in our region, it will air on another one of the espn family networks.

[Stanley Ketchel]

The Spartans are going to surprise quite a bit of people next season and I believe it will start with a W over Cal.

[enreek eh eglacies]

Spartans are going to run all over Cal.
Sorry Cal

[DC Spartan]

Why's it always have to be about you, Joe? I'm glad, unless some stupid ACC or SEC (or Big East) game trumps it, which I'm sure will happen. Maybe I'll just have to head to the game....

[Tim]

It's always about Joe because it Joe's blog, but since I don't have to write an article I'll enjoy the prime time game!

[Tom Cruise]

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[Curt Peterson]

This is great! Gives the family a chance to enjoy the Labor Day weekend up at the cottage and then sit down on Saturday evening and watch the kick-off of the college football season. I can understand that this does make it difficult for the press. I think we have a good chance to beat Cal if we come to play like we can. Like Stanley said, we are going to surprise some people and it will begin out in Berkely! Can't wait for Aug. 30!

[Steigenga]

I think that's tongue and check, no? Is it really all about the press?

I look for a much improved D which very well could be the difference in a game with two unproven offenses. Long way to go for a win but these really are two equally matched teams. Little travel practice for a bowl game?

[Psyc]

Sorry you will have to be in sunny Cali while all of us here in MI will most likely have to deal with a rainy weekend Joe! I'm sure all of the pressers will be miserable. Rack up the flyer miles and buy the kids a new toy!

As far as the game goes, I expect a big, prime time Spartan victory in the Golden State. Ringer runs for 150, Hoyer throws for 300 and Hawken has 2 TD's (one receiving, one short yardage 3 broken tackle run). Can not wait for this one!

[JMoist]

For the fans however, we get to drink until 8 before we even get to watch the green and white. I don't know about everyone else but there is nothing better than a Saturday spent with Spartan friends doing 12oz curls all afternoon in anticipation of the ball game. Should be a lot of fun to start the campaign in Cali and Michigan!

[DoctorWorm]

Having a quality opponent for the first game is a new sensation.

It'll be interesting to see how these Spartans shape up. They could either flop or shine in Berkeley, and only God knows what at this point.

[Kevin]

When Cal came to MSU a few years back, MSU was supposed to crush them. They were coming off of a 2 win season (I believe) and instead they crushed us. It was the start of their resurgence as a major power, and the beginning of the end for Bobby W.

This time, I would like to see it the other way. I would expect come fall for the expectation to be that Cal should crush us. Lets switch it up, and have this be the coming out party for an MSU team that only gets stronger.

[spartanforever]

Kevin I remember that game like it was yesterday-and exactly as you stated.Its about coaching,kinda like saban understanding Louisiana has just as much talent as florida(northern cal, has a good base-concord high(often the #1 HS inUSA) cranks 'em out and the bay area is home to many,many great athletes who's parents were also.Incidentally MSU would be wise to pay louisiana many recruiting visits-there are caveats.

Cal has a smart coach and he will know coach-D up one side and down the other...They will be totally prepared to stop Ringer and our run,so we better have a team prepared to stop their offence.Their "D" is experienced with a solid -big 'D' line and proto type LB'S who get there quickly,and good athletic guys in the secondary.Combine that with out standing coaching and you need to confuse them early,because they are going for the knock out punch(their "D" scoring early and their "O" getting up on us by 3-scores).

Once they get teams in a situation where they have to pass-they pin their ears back and bring it.That coach knows MSU is a notoriously slow starting team with qb's that lack imagination and field intellegence.They would not expect us to run plays swiftly.

WHAT WE CAN DO...MSU needs to have an offence that can go no huddle(not to start the game but soon after):Not take all day to call plays -know -script plays and execute:get-up off the carpet and get back to the huddle(help each other up)and have two plays called.Be creative,unpredictable and hungry to do something great.Go out there thinking you can take two series and get your head in to the game and you will find MSU down by 17 points and we can talk about what a good game the made it in the last ten minutes,coming from behind to make it look respectable.Remember MSU is,right now fore warned:come to play,be great and do great things or stay home because you will be embarassed.This Cal team and it's coach (Tedford I think) are for real and they will really want this game vs, the big ten-BIG TIME!!!

[Jerseyjohn]

it's almost impossible to win a night game on the road.. the crowd is twice as drunk and rowdie..we're in trouble.

[POPS]

I don't feel too bad for Joe. After all, most sports columns contain the same limited vocabulary strung together in a finite number of ways. Most of the column can be written before the game and the blanks can be filled in after the game. "Ringer pounded the Cal defense for ___ yards behind the mighty green offensive line. The defense held Cal's woeful running attack to a mere ___ yards. etc" Poor Joe! (yes, tongue in cheek)

[Michael Motta]

POPS, no offense to Joe but that was a pretty good dig! You make some good points even if they're exaggerated. It would probably apply better though to a game that was being summarized for a neutral market rather than for a "homer" market.

What surprises me a bit isn't the 8PM slot, but that even a late game like that is regionalized. I may be wrong, but it seems like while ABC afternoon games are usually regionalized, the night games have usually been national telecasts.

[Michael Motta]

Here's the TV schedule so far for 2008 football: http://mattsarz44017.tripod.com/football2008.html

[Bill]

Usually ABC offers 2 night games. If you have DirecTV, you will get the one your local affilate gets, and the other one on a subchannel.

If you have another provider, and you are in the area that gets the Clemson/GTech game, you will need to order it on PPV.

If you live in an area like that it may be cheaper to get the season package than cherry pick the single games you want.

[David]

Yes, we all remember what happened in EL last time Cal played MSU (as much as we'd like to forget). Most of we MSU fans still carry scars from Bobby's swan song season that started out w/so much hoopla. The Cal game was was our first indication that something was rotton in Denmark (East Lansing?).

That said, it won't have any indication on this game. These are two entirely different teams. Cal is a hard team to figure out. For the first 1/2 of last season they were fantastic & ranked in the Top 10. Then, after their first loss, they went into a free-fall. Granted, the loss of their QB hurt (Longshoreman, I think his name was?), but still, they should not have been THAT bad.

I'd rather Cal was the 2nd game w/the tune up game (Eastern) in week 1, but there is nothing they can do about that now. IF they can beat Cal, they have an excellent chance of entering the Big 10 season undefeated. Guess we'll find out in 4 months!

DSR

[bluto]

i just don't see Ringer having that great of a year. Every team will key on him. With a new/banged up o-line and no caulcrick to soften the D for him... i think this will be a miserable year for the spartys' running attack. That Cal game is sending the lambs to the lions... Spartans lose and lose BIG!! Sorry, maybe next year

[witless chum]

We didn't lose big at OSU last year and we're going to lose big to Cal?

I think this'll be a tough one for the Spartans to get, but I don't think the first blowout loss of the Dantonio era is going to come at the hands of the Golden Bears.

A score of 27-24, either way, seems more likely to me.