EAST LANSING -- Mark Dantonio sensed the skepticism in the assembled media before him, as his Michigan State team gets ready to play Michigan as a three-touchdown underdog this Saturday at home.
That led him to ask himself a rhetorical question, then answer it.
"Can we win? Yeah, we can win," Dantonio said. "I firmly believe that. I know none of you do. That's why I'm coaching."
That's the attitude Michigan State is taking entering a Michigan week unlike any other in Dantonio's tenure.
A game (noon, ESPN) that was seen as a toss-up during the summer is now being projected as one of the most lopsided in the history of the rivalry.