MAC smack
Dan Kilbridge dkilbridge@lsj.com
November 07, 2009 15:22 PM

EAST LANSING - There were some who didn't like the idea from the very beginning.

Why take the risk? Sure, Michigan State hadn't lost to a Mid-American Conference school since 1992, when Central Michigan pulled off a 24-20 upset at Spartan Stadium.

But when MSU, along with Central, Western and Eastern Michigan announced the "Celebrate the State" series earlier this year, it meant MSU would play a road game at each in-state school - in exchange for three at home - between 2011 and 2020.

"The state of Michigan is a great place to live," MSU athletic director Mark Hollis said Aug. 20, the day of the announcement.

"In the spirit of 'Pure Michigan', we strive to celebrate the state with a football series that provides competition on the field while unifying people of our great state."

Today's game against Western Michigan (4-5, 3-3), while not part of the statewide series, revived the topic of the deal that some thought was a gamble for MSU.

Sure, there were economic advantages, such as keeping revenue in state while saving money on travel expenses. The trade-off, however, was the road games, with MSU having little to gain against fired-up underdogs on their home fields. The first road game in the series will be a visit to Kelly/Shorts stadium in Mount Pleasant to face CMU in 2012.

Still, the series was two years away, and most people were more concerned with MSU's Big Ten championship hopes in 2009, not potential upsets three years or more down the road.