Top 25 Vote Article.

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2013/09/mlive_reporter_explains_pendin.html


This guy (Mike Griffith) votes in the AP poll and offers some of his thoughts about his vote for this weeks poll. His view of Sparty...after the first game is funny!!

Go Blue!!

I just had a rather insightful, but not necessarily accurate, thought. Could spartys offense be so dreadful because they only have an elite defense (yes it hurts to admit that) to practice against? Or maybe the reason the defense is so good because they practice with the absurdly horrible sparty offense and that gives them confidence?

2ndComingOfBo wrote:

I just had a rather insightful, but not necessarily accurate, thought.  Could spartys offense be so dreadful because they only have an elite defense (yes it hurts to admit that) to practice against?  Or maybe the reason the defense is so good because they practice with the absurdly horrible sparty offense and that gives them confidence?

Yes!!  

Go Blue!!

Better talent on defense and better coached there. How many top offensive guys has Dantonio recruited?

'shoes

The only offensive sparty studs were low-rated. Well, other than Jayru Campbell (unrated as of now but will be 4* 2015 QB), Chris Durkin (4* 2014 QB), Damion Terry (4* 2013 QB), Madrin & Burbridge (4* 2012 WRs), Onjae Miller (4* 2011 RB), Caper & Baker (4* 2009 RBs), and Fred Smith (4* 2008 WR). I think there were 2 4* OL linemen in there too. I think that includes the entire Grouch'o Mark era...

Those are all of the highly rated skill position offensive recruits sparty has had since 2006 (according to Scout at least). He got lucky on a few recruits that were low-rated in Bell, Cousins, Dell and Martin who turned out to be real studs.

What I just found very funny was that sparty had 2 recruits with the same name, position, and star rating in the same year. I'm thinking Scout screwed up and not enough people care about sparty to notice. 2007 sparty recruiting class, Chris Rucker from ohio and Chris Rucker from Michigan...

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=8&toinid=684&yr=2007

Another thing that I did not realize about sparty is that Jerel Worthy was only a 2 star. I think that one of the reasons that sparty is so good at defense is that most of the players on the defensive side of the ball were not rated too highly and therefore they have a chip on their shoulder. Combine that with the ever-present sparty inferiority complex and there ya have it.