EAST LANSING – With one fell swoop at Penn State, Michigan State’s football team can save the College Football Playoff and send itself into an unexpectedly early offseason with the sort of oomph that can propel it into a better 2017.
That’s as dramatically as I can possibly frame the stakes of this week’s game for the 3-8 football team from East Lansing.
There is a chance the outcome in Happy Valley could have no bearing the next month or next year. But, if that’s the case, there’s no point in reading this column or any other coverage this week, so let’s dismiss that possibility.