Inside the Numbers: Burying the Dantonio Era

Mark Dantonio has been a thorn in Michigan’s side for years.

As he brought Michigan State a period of on-field success that the Spartans had not experienced in decades, winning three conference championships, participating in and winning a Rose Bowl and vying for a national title, Dantonio’s main mission always remained the same: beat Michigan.

It has been a defining characteristic of his program. Not only is Michigan State 8-4 against Michigan under Dantonio, the Spartans always seem to play their best game of the season against the Wolverines. From 2008 through 2017, the Spartans were 10-0 against the spread against Michigan, but most impressively, they beat the spread in those games by an average of 13 points.

In doing so, Michigan has seen the tenures of two of its head coaches effectively come to an end as a result. Dantonio put a nail in Rich Rodriguez’s coffin in 2010 when the Spartans sprung a 17-point win on the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. He then put a “stake” through the heart of the Brady Hoke era in 2014 when the Spartans snuffed out the Wolverines in a 35-11 home win.

Now, it is Michigan’s time to return the favor and bury the Dantonio era once and for all.

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