We haven't even reached the halfway point of the college football season, but the politicking has already begun.
Fresh off a win over previously undefeated Nebraska and sitting in the top 10 in the polls, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio is already starting to lay the groundwork for a campaign to get the Spartans into the inaugural College Football Playoff.
"You can look around the country and ask four or five other teams how they feel this week," Dantonio said, according to the Detroit Free Press. "It's all about winning football games, because this gets forgotten. In the big picture of things, if you win, you're going to advance. If you lose by a couple, chances are you don't."
Michigan State lost on the road to Oregon several weeks ago in a marquee non-conference game but has slowly rebuilt its reputation in the eyes of many thanks to some impressive play on both sides of the ball. The Spartans are the second-highest one-loss team in the polls and have a chance to not only win their league, but capture an important victory over a big-name opponent when they face Ohio State in a few weeks.
While all of that will matter to the selection committee when it comes to on-field performance, Dantonio believes the Spartans also bring something that few people mention: TV ratings.
"If we do what we're supposed to do or what we're attempting to do and get in the (Big Ten title game) and win that game, then I think good things are possible. I think we turn on a lot of TV sets and, let's not be naïve, it's about who is watching the game, too," Dantonio added. "And so you've got a quarter of the country watching a football game. They want to see a football team from this part of the country in that game."
While there's little doubt the Big Ten has a ton of college football fans in the conference footprint, few coaches have suggested that ratings might be a factor when it comes to which four teams the committee will pick. With a somewhat lackluster non-conference record again for the Big Ten, maybe it's smart of Dantonio to discuss a metric the league actually has an advantage in.
At the end of the day, the notion that ratings will play a part in the committee's rankings will likely draw a chuckle from the 13 members on it. At least Dantonio is already starting the campaign to get the green and white a spot in the final four because he just might need it considering the holes on their resume.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
