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Unless something unexpected happens in the next week, Michigan State will miss out on a BCS bowl despite winning a share of the Big Ten title.
So coach Mark Dantonio finally spoke up, asking anyone who might listen to give his Spartans a second look.
''I'm just looking for a little consideration,'' Dantonio said Monday. ''At least we should be in the conversation.''
Michigan State finished in a three-way tie for the conference championship with Wisconsin and Ohio State, and the Big Ten's Rose Bowl berth is being decided by the BCS rankings. Wisconsin is No. 5 in the latest BCS standings, with Ohio State one spot behind and Michigan State at No. 8. The three teams have all finished the regular season, so it's hard to imagine Wisconsin falling behind either of the other two in the final BCS rankings next weekend.
If Wisconsin goes to the Rose Bowl, Ohio State and Michigan State would still be able to fight for an at-large BCS bid to a game like the Sugar or Orange Bowl, but that's probably a climb for the Spartans. The Big Ten can't receive more than one at-large spot, and Ohio State is considered a major draw.
The conventional wisdom is that Michigan State will go to the Capital One Bowl despite handing Wisconsin its only loss so far. The Spartans didn't play Ohio State.
Dantonio didn't do too much politicking the last couple weeks, but on Monday he cited statistics indicating his team played a tougher schedule than Ohio State or Wisconsin - and he pointed out how many of his team's wins came against opponents who would go on to finish .500 or better.
''If you want to start comparing people with apples to apples, we were 7-1 against bowl (eligible) teams,'' Dantonio said. ''I think Ohio State's 6-1, I think Wisconsin's 4-1. When you look at that stat alone, it starts to open your eyes a little bit, I think.''
And then there's the intangibles the Spartans could offer after bouncing back from a 6-7 season and keeping their focus even after Dantonio suffered a mild heart attack in September.
''Why not us? We're the new guys on the block,'' Dantonio said. ''We've got a great story to tell.''
Athletic director Mark Hollis was making the same arguments on Twitter, though he did post this tweet Monday: ''Michigan State sent more than 25,000 fans to the 2009 Capital One Bowl.''
The Spartans might have been hurt by the fact that they beat Wisconsin in early October, before many people realized how good the Badgers would be. However, both Michigan State and Ohio State benefited from not having to play one another. Wisconsin had to play both and still ended up in a tie for first.
All three teams ended up 11-1, 7-1 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin is No. 4 in this week's AP poll. Ohio State is No. 6, one spot ahead of Michigan State.
In a three-way tie like this, the Big Ten only uses head-to-head records as a deciding factor if one team beat the other two or one team lost to the other two. That didn't happen, and the three teams also have identical overall records, so the BCS rankings are being used - although Dantonio said he voted against using them in situations like this when the issue came up.
''It was a 10-1 vote,'' he said. ''You know who voted against it last May? You're looking at him.''
If Michigan State does go to the Capital One Bowl, it would still face an impressive opponent from the Southeastern Conference. The Spartans could end up playing Alabama and former Michigan State coach Nick Saban. LSU, South Carolina and Arkansas may also be possibilities.
Still, as long as there's a chance to play in an even more prestigious bowl, Dantonio is going to make his voice heard.
''I'm just here to raise awareness,'' he said, drawing some laughs. ''I'm not trying to diss any of the other programs, I'm just looking for a little respect.''
