Bell: No Win Over Spartans, No Title For Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The way Nebraska receiver Kenny Bell sees it, if the No. 13 Cornhuskers don't beat ninth-ranked Michigan State on Saturday, Big Red fans might as well start checking into travel arrangements for the Outback Bowl.
With a win, the Cornhuskers (6-1, 2-1) would move into a tie with the Spartans (6-1, 3-0) for the Legends Division lead and gain the inside track for the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis.
With a loss, the Huskers fall two games behind, and Michigan State would own the tiebreaker.
"The first step to getting to Indianapolis would be beating Michigan State this week," Bell said Monday. "Michigan State is a tremendous football team. I've got nothing but respect for them. So if we don't get this one this Saturday, Michigan State is not going to lose the rest of their games on their schedule. We have to get this one to win the Legends Division, absolutely."
Michigan State finishes the regular season with Minnesota at home, at Iowa, Indiana at home and at Northwestern. All but Iowa are winless in Big Ten play.
Nebraska closes with Northwestern at home, back-to-back road games against Penn State and Michigan and a home game with Iowa.
To Bell, that makes Saturday the de-facto division championship game for Nebraska.
"Pretty much," he said. "We've got to win our division to play whoever — I think it's going to be Wisconsin still, but whoever wins the Leaders. Without a win over Michigan State, I don't think it will happen... As salty a team as Michigan State is, we have to snatch victory this Saturday."
The Big Ten champion will go to the Rose Bowl — unless that team makes the BCS national title game — and the runner-up would be in line for the Capital One Bowl. The Outback, Gator and Insight bowls are next in line for Big Ten teams.
Michigan State had an incredible end to its 37-31 win over previously unbeaten Wisconsin.
Kirk Cousins' desperation heave as time ran out bounced off a helmet and into the arms of Keith Nichol, who pushed across the goal line for the winning score.
"Crazy play, huh?" Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "It was a good football game. Great for Michigan State, bad deal for Wisconsin."
Pelini said he doubts the fantastic finish will have any carryover effect to this week.
"I'm not in their locker room," he said, "but I'm sure they've moved on to the next thing. They've better. Around here our approach is it doesn't matter how you win a game or, for that matter, how you lose a game. You go on to the next thing. I'm sure it's the same there."
Pelini said he won't need to talk with his players about how Saturday's game could affect the standings.
"Our guys understand what's at stake," he said. "They understand what the situation is. Every game is a must win. It's the way you look at it. It's the only way you win all your games and control your own destiny. If you don't, you lose control. It's pretty obvious."
The Huskers have no mulligans left after their loss at Wisconsin.
"It's hard to recover if you slip maybe one, two times in a conference like this," tight end Ben Cotton said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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