Despite recent dominance, Michigan State just can't escape Michigan's shadow

Michigan State has been the most dominant program in the state of Michigan this decade, but it just doesn't seem to be enough to escape the long shadow of the Wolverines

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio does not suffer fools.

In August, the irascible man at the helm of Michigan State's football program called in to a Fox Sports Radio show as a guest. The first question Dantonio was asked by hosts Mike North and Andy Furman was not about him or his Michigan State football team.

It was about Jim Harbaugh, the coach of Michigan State's biggest rival, Michigan.

Dantonio was then asked a couple more questions about Connor Cook, and the seeming lack of respect that Dantonio's program receives from the national media. Yes, that's right, the hosts that first asked Dantonio about Harbaugh and the Wolverines then asked him about the perceived disrespect his program receives nationally.

Soon after, Dantonio decided he'd had enough and just hung up. End of interview.

Throughout sports there have been plenty of coaches that use disrespect -- whether from fans, opponents or the media -- as a motivational tool for their teams. A lot of times, those coaches have been full of crap. Just because Lou Holtz would tell his Notre Dame players that nobody believed they could beat Rice doesn't mean it was actually true.

When it comes to Michigan State, however, Dantonio and Michigan State's claims of disrespect are based in a lot more reality.

Let's take a look at what Michigan State has accomplished since the 2010 season.

• It's gone 65-16 (41-10 Big Ten), winning at least 11 games five times.
• It's won three Big Ten titles and played for a fourth.
• It's won a Rose Bowl.
• Last season, it won the Big Ten and was selected for the College Football Playoff.
• It's beaten Michigan three seasons in a row -- and seven times in the last eight years.

While Michigan State was doing all of this, it's "big brother," Michigan, was spinning its wheels. When Michigan State won the Big Ten in 2010, Rich Rodriguez's Wolverines went 7-6 -- RichRod's best season in Ann Arbor -- and Rodriguez was fired. In came Brady Hoke, who led the Wolverines to a Sugar Bowl in 2011 but took major steps back each of the next three seasons, finishing with a 31-20 mark in four seasons with the Wolverines.

Then Hoke was replaced by Harbaugh, and just when it seemed that Michigan State was finally ready to emerge from the shadow of Michigan football looming over it, the spotlight returned to Ann Arbor. Before Harbaugh won a game with the Wolverines, he was causing a commotion with every single move he made.

Michigan rebounded to win 10 games in 2015, but it suffered an insane, heartbreaking loss against Michigan State, and the Spartans went on to win yet another Big Ten title anyway.

Yet the first question Dantonio was asked about in that radio interview, and in plenty of others, was one about Harbaugh and Michigan.

Honestly, I don't know if Michigan State will ever truly be able to escape Michigan's shadow. There's just too much history there, and if the Spartans couldn't do it in the last six seasons when they took over Michigan's role as Ohio State's biggest competition within the Big Ten, you have to believe the only way the Spartans can do it is with national championships.

And heading into 2016, I'm not sure this Michigan State team is ready to win national titles.

Yes, the Spartans were chosen for the College Football Playoff last season, but a 38-0 dismantling at the hands of Alabama in the Cotton Bowl is the only thing most fans remember about the 2015 season. Now Michigan State enters 2016 with plenty of question marks.

Connor Cook is gone. Michigan State went 35-5 with Cook as their starting quarterback, and 21-2 in conference play. Losing him alone is a big blow to Sparty's offense, but Michigan State also loses its two leading receivers as well as three starters on its offensive line, including both its left tackle and left guard.

On defense, which has long been Michigan State's calling card, one of the best defensive linemen in the country, Malik McDowell, returns, but he's one of only three players from last year's front seven to return in 2016.

It's all a bit reminiscent of the 2012 Spartans. That was a team coming off two straight division titles, one that had won 11 games each of those previous two seasons. It was also a team that lost a big chunk of its offensive production, including quarterback Kirk Cousins from the 2011 team.

The results were an inconsistent offense in 2012, and even with a stellar defense that allowed only 16.3 points per game, the Spartans still only managed to finish 7-6 that season.

While a drop to 7-6 may be a bit drastic in 2016, it's not unrealistic to expect Michigan State will take a slight step backward this year. If it happens, it could be at a horrible time as Michigan is expected to match -- or possibly exceed -- its 2015 win total this season. and if it happens, well, we already know which team will get all the attention.

The good news for Michigan State is that "big brother" must come to East Lansing this year. If the Spartans are able to make it eight wins in nine years over the Wolverines, will that be enough to get out of Michigan's shadow?

I'd ask Mark Dantonio, but we already know his answer.