With first place in the Big Ten within striking distance, the heat is high. We are halfway through the year and fans are waiting for this thing to really shake out. Something will certainly shake out this weekend, who it is will likely determine the winner because despite all the high stakes anxiety, it won’t be a high flying shootout. It’s going to be a slugfest won on the ground. The battle between the two best running backs in the Big Ten, Beanie Wells and Javon Ringer. Who shakes out into open space more often, will likely determine the winner. The two are huge leaders on their team. They want the ball and are consistent.

Beanie has not gotten the action and touches people expected due to a foot injury he suffered in week one and a Freshman QB who runs the ball as much as he does. He has only seen the ball 71 times but that has brought his team 479 yards and 2 TDs. While the numbers won’t win him a Heisman, he is clearly the go-to man this week with Pryor’s passing game struggling. He could break it open on Michigan State’s defense, they are ninth in total offense allowed in the Big Ten. He may have to, though, if Dantonio’s defensive fundamentals prove strong enough to shake up Pryor. If the Spartans can prevent any bleeding on 1^st and 2^nd down and force Tressel to drop Pryor back on 3^rd, then they will be where they want come the 4^th quarter.

The MSU secondary must step up, though, and contain any clear lanes for Pryor. As a freshman, who knows he’s on the ropes, he will only take the chances he knows he can get down the field. The biggest wins State has seen are ND and Northwestern, in both of those the Spartans grabbed two picks. Those were game changers, despite giving up yards on paper, they made plays to get the offense back on the field. And, frankly, if you are a Spartan that’s who you want on the field.

Javon Ringer is getting Heisman press with his 1112 yards and 14 TDs and rightfully so, his shifty feet, lateral capability and insane durability have brought his team this far. They will need him to bring them any farther, too. The Spartans will see a very stingy Ohio State defense on Saturday. While Tressel’s offense was not convincing against Purdue, the defense was called to prove themselves and stepped up big only allowing 3 points for the Boilermakers. The news of Ringer’s Heisman run have certainly reached this defense’s ears. They will be looking for him and with Ringer as Michigan State’s only real back, he won’t be hard to find. When Javon is in the game, he is getting the ball. The biggest problem with the State’s offense is that they have no other looks. When the red and white see number 23 in the backfield, safeties will start cheating, linebackers finding gaps to line up in and defensive linemen know they just have to stop any holes.

If the Buckeyes defense does step up, then we will see how good the Michigan State quarterback, Brian Hoyer, really is. He’s not bad so far, but with no one able to stop Javon, his job is easy – handoffs, fake handoffs, then throw to a tight end and the occasional 3^rd down. He looked better as of late, though. Against Northwestern, he threw two TDs and connected 70 percent of his passes. The Cats tried to stack the box and stop Ringer. Dantonio adjusted his gameplan and Hoyer found some openings. When those openings come for Hoyer, the running game comes back. Ringer finished with 124 and 2 TDs in the win (I’m fairly sure this writer called that…roughly.)

The game really just waits to be played. It’s tough to call it either way, it’s too close. I mean it’s almost family, seriously, Tressel actually referred to Dantonio as family this week. Each team has something to prove, but Ohio State has more to lose and Michigan State much more to gain. I say it’s adrenaline that wins. Whoever tries harder. (There’s some crack journalism, huh?)

“Hustle wins? C’mon, Kaner, there’s more to college football than a good ready position and grit.” I respond with a single word….Rudy. I digress, and Notre Dame sucks.

I think it’s true, though. If the Michigan State defense gets aggressive enough for Buckeye fans to start chanting “Boeckmen”, than Dantonio’s offense will get enough chances to outscore Ohio State. Ringer and Hoyer want it, too. Ringer was supposed to go to the Ohio State University after growing up in Dayton, but they said his grades wouldn’t cut it. Now, he’s got his chance to prove this nation’s true colors and remind us that college isn’t about school, it’s about wining huge home games on Saturday.

I can’t deny the home team in this one, and I love to see Tressel frown. (It clashes with the tie and vest that make him appear so put together.) Spartans win a squeaker 30-28.

Don’t buy it? Did I mention that Javon Ringer is a black belt? Now you see my point.

Being the ACC man that I am, I ensure that I will maintain a fair and balanced approach to the game (because I don’t believe in the Big-Ten that much. We will discuss that come bowl season.)

The Cats show up 5-0 but let’s run down the opponent list – Syracuse, Duke, Southern Illinois, Ohio and Iowa. Had the Cats dropped any of those games no one would have been shocked, but they haven’t. They won all of those games. They have proved to be a consistently higher caliber but those aren’t great teams.

The Iowa win was big, but the Hawkeyes coughed the ball up 5 times, giving up their 14 point lead. One of those came on a Wildcat punt, right before the first half. Iowa mishandled the punt on the 33 yard line with a minute to go. Northwestern managed to get 7 on the board right before the half, and cut the deficit in half. You can’t underestimate that momentum change going into a locker room. If Iowa could have kept NW on the ropes until halftime, the home team may have had the confidence to finish the game. They didn’t. Iowa needs to put in a call to Rich Rodriguez for the memo he already received: you can’t win games when you don’t have the ball.

The Cats are certainly an opportunistic team, a balanced team with a quality quarterback in CJ Bacher and a running game that averages almost 5 yards per carry. Really, they can manage to win games. This isn’t Oklahoma we’re talking about. So the defense is the real question for the Cats. Can they hope to stop, or even slow Javon Ringer?

Off the top of your head you would say, “Have you seen Ringer? There’s no way.” That’s not an unreasonable claim. He is a horse, he has three 200 yard games. Those came, though, on an average of 40 plus carries and against ND, Florida Atlantic and Indiana.

The reality is the Wildcats could slow him down. Iowa did it last week. Ringer touched the ball 25 times and only went for 91 yards. The Spartans came away with the W, but if the Cats can limit the time of possession for MSU and play with a lead this week, then State will be forced to give the ball to QB Brian Hoyer rather than Ringer.

Then again, the Wildcats secondary has to stop Brian Hoyer, who, while he has only found the end zone 4 times this year, has thrown for almost 1200 yards this year. He can move the ball. He’s not Juice Williams or Terrelle Pryor but he’s a quality QB. If the Spartans can convert first downs and get in the red-zone you can be sure Ringer will do his best to find the end zone, he has 12 times this year.

On the other side of the ball, defense has had quite a bit to do with the 5-0 record of Northwestern. They haven’t given up more than 20 points this year and on average give up on 12 points a game. They did however allow 400 plus yards of offense for Iowa and I’m sure Hawkeyes fans agree, if Iowa held on to the football like they should have, the Wildcats would be sitting at 4-1.

Let’s cut to the chase. Northwestern has been tough to this point but if the Northwestern defense slips and Hoyer and Ringer get a lead then Dantonio’s Spartans won’t fall in Evanston. On the other hand, if Fitzgerald’s boys get on the board early, and scrap for some turnovers than the Wildcats could come out 6-0. It will be a battle, but I say look for mistakes, letting up big plays or turnovers are what will decide the game.

Personally, I’m siding with Ringer, any dude that is 5’9” and can carry a workload like his, has my respect. I say he brings his lunch pail to work gets 130 on almost 30 touches and breaks one for at least 40 yards. That breakout is the difference maker.  21-13, Spartans win.