Desmond Howard Ranks Michigan Rivals, Puts MSU Last
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ANN ARBOR (CBS DETROIT) - To Michigan, playing Ohio State and Notre Dame is a much bigger deal than playing Michigan State, and they're not afraid to let Spartys know it.
After Denard Robinson rubbed salt in the MSU as "little brother" wound, legendary Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard confirmed it.
Basically, he said, the difference is that the Wolverines are not judged on how they play the Spartans. In the same way, beating the Spartans does not validate Michigan as an elite team the way defeating the Buckeyes or the Irish does.
"No disrespect to Michigan State, but they don't have the national appeal that Notre Dame has," Howard said. "I don't think anybody's fooled by that, right? I'm not telling you guys anything you don't know. There's no disrespect to the Spartans.
"They have a fantastic program, but nationally, they ain't Notre Dame," Howard continued. "Nationally, they ain't Ohio State. You get it? So you kind of like measure yourself nationally when you go up against a Notre Dame, Ohio State, so I don't think I'm telling you guys anything you didn't know."
