Lost in hours of ESPN personalities interviewing Mark Dantonio on Wednesday in Bristol, Conn., was a power quote about perhaps the best part of Dantonio’s 2015 Michigan State team.
It did not come from Dantonio. It came from analyst Ed Cunningham, in explaining why he thinks the No. 6 Spartans are underrated in the national title race.
“Mark Dantonio has the best defensive line in the country,” Cunningham said, “and nobody in the SEC would ever even think that.”
But it was already clear what they think of it in East Lansing. Dantonio said last week in Chicago that this is his best MSU defensive front, possibly better than the 2002 Ohio State line he won a national championship with as defensive coordinator — featuring three third-round picks and a first-round pick in the starting lineup.