Following a 38-14 victory over Western Michigan this past Saturday, Michigan State is ready to turn its attention to Florida Atlantic, which plays the Spartans this upcoming Saturday at Ford Field. This game is unique because it is at the home of the Lions, yet Michigan State will be the away team.
The story behind how this matchup came to be is that Michigan State and FAU agreed to a two-for-one series. MSU gets two home games out of the series but has to play at FAU in 2010. Pretty simple, no? Well, there was a complication in the form of FAU's new stadium not being ready in time for this game, forcing it to be moved. FAU had plenty of choices as far as where it could be held, but they ultimately decided on Ford Field in Detroit. That isn't the best decision for competitive purposes because atmosphere-wise it will be like a Spartans home game, but financially speaking, it was a wise decision.
The last time FAU played Michigan State was two years ago in a monsoon at Spartan Stadium. MSU won by a score of 17-0, surviving the rainy weather thanks mainly to Javon Ringer, who racked up nearly 300 yards. The Owls and Spartans will meet again in East Lansing in 2011 to close out this three-game series.
Because this Saturday's contest is technically an away game for Michigan State, it won't be found on the Big Ten Network, which is where you would usually expect to find a matchup like this. Instead it will be broadcast on ESPNU at 12:00 p.m. ET.
MSU should win this game pretty easily, so the thing I will be most interested in is what the crowd looks like. The last update about ticket sales for this game was not very promising, but then again, many people are expected to buy tickets on the day of the game. Either way, it will be interesting to see how empty or full Ford Field is on Saturday for Michigan State's first game in Detroit since 1944.