We could still win the conference after losing in cbus. Imagine it now:
It's November 21st in Ohio and the faithful have ten victories to be thankful for. But, the largest city in Ohio is quieter than you would imagine, uneasier than you would expect. An air of uncertainty lingers in the crisp autumn air whipping through crimson and silver canopies and tents. People joke and laugh, they eat and drink, but something's different -- something unspoken. As game time approaches something paces in the stomachs of every OSU fan, a nameless primal dread that can't be suppressed tugs at the consciousness of a populace wrapped in red; "can they do it again?" A question that won't be asked out loud in Columbus today, but one that has set up camp on the tip of every fan's tongue.
The Spartans take the field with their own resume to be proud of. They sport ten equally impressive wins and a bonus chip on their shoulder courtesy of the two's meeting a year prior. Despite the solid gameplan and unassailable effort of MSU's club, Meyer's machinations win the day and set his program up for a second shot at the national crown.
A 1-10 U of M team limps home from College Station reeling from a series of injuries that range from sore ankles to sudden-onset reality syndrome. They practice, they study, they break tape down, they get taped up, but it seems that there's no way to beat Urban's army. OSU takes the field on that final Saturday of the regular season. They are certain of their path, convinced of their destiny; and so is umich. But, like so many Disney movies have taught us, nothing is ever certain. Some way, somehow, that pack of bruised and broken forest rats manage to up end the 10-1 tree nuts. Ann Arbor clamors for national recognition and a spot in the College Football Playoff, publicly offering Harbaugh a ten-year extension (with a $10 million dollar bonus if he legally changes his first name to "Bo").
Meanwhile, the Spartans matter-of-factly take down visiting PSU and advance to the B1G title game with an 11-1 record. A second meeting with Nebraska ends as decidedly as the first and the Spartans roll into the College Football Playoff as the number two team in the nation matching up against the Red Raiders. The contest is a nail biter from kick to pistol. The Buffalos are a tenacious team led by Liufau's inconsistent but devastating passing attack. In the face of great adversity Mark Dantonio uses his trump card and, instead of a halftime speech, he calls Chris Callahan and presses the speakerphone button. "Hey Chris, this is Mark. Can you do me a favor and tell me what you did after you got knocked down?" there is a brief, yet painfully long pause on the other end of the call. Then four words come from the speaker of that cell phone, four words that will live forever in the memories of those MSU players and coaches, "I got back up." The locker room erupts in a series of cheers and the Spartans take the field with an awe-inspiring sense of purpose. MSU erases the 10-point defect in their first two possessions and the game is never in doubt from that point onward. Victory for MSU.