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Tweetgate - Michigan State Is On Top. Now They Have To Act Like It

By: Jamie Samuelsen

The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is nastier than it's ever been. There's no debate about that. If you haven't been paying attention for the last four years, let me bring you up to speed.

1) Michigan can't stand the fact that Michigan State has passed them in football.

2) Michigan State fans can't stand the fact that Michigan won't admit the fact that Michigan State has passed them in football.

And that pretty much sums it up. Oh sure, there have been some other flare-ups along the way. It didn't help that Michigan lost to MSU last season, didn't win their division, and yet earned a berth to a BCS bowl. And it didn't help that Michigan won the last two recruiting battles, causing the Old Blues to proclaim that MSU's brief run of dominance was soon coming to an end, even though nothing has happened on the field to underscore that point.

Michigan State is on top. Michigan is looking up at the Spartans. That's a fact.

Now, Michigan State needs to start acting like it. Obsessing about Michigan doesn't help the cause. Trying to take away from some of the things Michigan has done doesn't help the cause. And gloating about an ugly Michigan loss on Twitter definitely doesn't help the cause. In fact, it makes Michigan State look cheap. It makes them look less than they are. If you're on top and you're looking down, why should you care what one of the teams under you is doing.

But they do. At least some of them do.

Denicos Allen tweeted about Denard Robinson - "Is this guy really a QB I'll say my mans (walk-on Tommy Vento) is a better QB lol,"

Safety Kyle Artinian jumped on the Denard train as well - "DENARD IS SOOOO BAD! And it makes me feel so good."

Same for Jamal Lyles - "I can play quarterback for the school in blue. (Le'Veon Bell) for heisman > the other guy in the great state of michigan."

That doesn't speak for the whole team or the whole school. It certainly doesn't speak for Head Coach Mark Dantonio who angrily addressed the issue today at his weekly press conference. Some of the tweets were taken down. And I'm sure that some Michigan players have gone to Twitter over the years. In fact let's not forget that it was Mike Hart's infamous "little brother" comment that ignited this rivalry to the level it's at today. If Hart can talk down to a rival, Michigan State is entitled to do the same.

But they shouldn't. It's unnecessary.

But more than that, it simply fuels the idea that Michigan State is so obsessed with Michigan that they can't see straight. The Spartans scored a nice win over nationally ranked Boise State on Friday night. Why should it matter what Michigan is doing on Saturday night? The two programs are rivals, and they always will be. But in the course of any rivalry, one school will rise up and another will fall. Michigan State has risen up. And this season should be a continuation of that trend. The Spartans have done the hard part in getting to this level.

Now comes the easy part – acting like it.

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