Mike Valenti's 'State Of The State' Before MSU, U-M Game
DETROIT (97.1 The Ticket) It began with a reality check and ended with one simple bit that started with the word believe. Here are the notes 97.1 The Ticket's Mike Valenti used to deliver his "state of the state" address live on-air regarding this year's big game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
REALITY CHECK: For the first time, I am absolutely nervous about this weekend. This summer? No. Two weeks ago? Still no. Today? Absolutely. Michigan looks like the better team, is playing like the better team. And for what it's worth, they have a swagger about them for which coach Jim Harbaugh deserves full credit. A small part of me, for the fist time in the Dantonio era, thinks we could see a beat down. Spartans fans, if you aren't nervous then you are either lying to yourself or not smart enough to have your opinion valued.
HARBAUGH IS REAL AND SCARY: All bits aside, I missed it completely. He has come in and not only galvanized a fan base -- holy mercy, that crowd noise -- but the entire program, all three phases, is tight, focused and relentless. Dare I say, they remind me of some of these Spartan teams I loved dearly. He has done it with such quickness it's startling. I always knew he would impress, but not like this. You are here. You have my attention and with a win, my respect. A win Saturday would vault Michigan into becoming the most prominent college football story in America.
ALL FANS: Drop the excuses, both sides. Let's not talk about injuries. We have the players we have and that is all that we have. Let them show up and play. For Michigan, in the same tone you talk about how good you are, don't talk about the next year, the future and say that coaches need time. Play this game in the moment and live in the moment. The past doesn't matter, what's going to happen next year isn't important right now.
NO NARRATIVES: Both sides need to drop their story lines. No, Spartans fans, Harbaugh isn't going to be a failure. No Michigan, there is no return to "little brother" or John L. Smith. This will be nasty. It will hurt. It will be annoying, challenging and often heartbreaking. You need to live in the great big gray area. There are no absolutes. Saturday will determine playoffs, B10, and national perception. For that to be real and to get to this point, BOTH sides had to be good. They had to be relevant. Losers play for bragging rights. Programs play for championships. Raise your game as fans. And this applies to both sides.
BELIEVE: Plain and simple, Spartan fans need a kick in the ass. It's OK to be realistic and say "we may lose" or "I'm nervous," but still draw confidence in what we have and what's been built. We have one of the 4-5 coaches who can line up across from Harbaugh as an equal. We've never shown up unprepared against U-M. We have arguably the best college quarterback in the country, he's devastating to opponents. We have the experience of games including the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl and BTT. They've won 32 of their last 35 games. And MSU has won 19 of its last 20 games against the Big Ten. It's time to feel confident in this team and its abilities.
