"P4RB"

"You know what that stands for?" Dantonio said after uttering the season-long motto in the wake of MSU's 31-17 win at Northwestern. “Prepare for the Rose Bowl. That’s where we’re going. We’ll take the next step. It’ll be a great challenge next week … but we’re in the hunt.”

    It'll be MSU vs. Wisconsin. Yes, the Spartans will have to beat the Badgers twice. Yes, the Spartans would have clinched Pasadena already in the previous format. But they knew the score before the season began. And there was no hint of complaining about the situation after the game. They get to play one game for a spot in the Rose Bowl. Jerel Worthy may have put best what the next week means.

    “It’s something you work hard for,” Worthy said. “You’ve got winter conditioning, summer camp, spring ball.  It’s the reason you lace up your cleats, it’s the reason you put your pads on. The countless hours in the weight room and the film room. For this one moment.”

    This was not a perfect game from the Spartans, but Northwestern doesn't allow you to play a perfect game. Keshawn Martin turned the game with his punt return for a touchdown. The defense made up for a few gaffes by making plenty of big plays. And the offense ran the ball and got some NFL-quality passing and receiving from the Cousins-Cunningham combo.

    With U-M beating Ohio State, it looks like the Wolverines will get that second BCS bid (assuming they move into the top 14, which should happen by next week).  And that means MSU is probably looking at Tampa if it doesn't beat Wisconsin.

    There's certainly a distinct chance of that happening. The Badgers made a bit of a statement of their own with that 45-7 thrashing of Penn State. But I get the feeling the Spartans are going to come with their best on Saturday at Lucas Oil.

    This is going to be a wild week, leading to a wild Saturday scene in Indy. And only two Big Ten teams and fan bases get to experience this first Big Ten championship game. You should really try to enjoy it.