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Fifty years ago, Michigan State and Notre Dame played in what was then called the Game of the Century. It pitted No. 1 Notre Dame against No. 2 Michigan State at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.Of course, it ended in a 10-10 tie, a bit of a letdown considering the magnitude of the game. However, 50 years later, the game still stands as an iconic moment with both programs.And when the Spartans and Fighting Irish meet at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, that historic game will be on the minds of many, almost as much as the fact the 2016 version of each team is trying to find its footing and jump into the national championship hunt.Very excited about going down to South Bend to play in this game, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. Its a rivalry game for us. Been involved in this football game probably since 97 as an assistant coach, and theres been some great games with Notre Dame.I think it all goes back to the 66 game certainly and even maybe before that. So its been a traditional-type rivalry and weve embraced that as we have so many of our other rivalries.Michigan State and Notre Dame have played 77 times, but this will be the first meeting since 2013 as the rivalry took a hiatus.Even with the break, the teams understand theyre getting ready for a big game.Its a winning team, so they know how to win, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said of the Spartans. We watched film after film of their games in the Big Ten and theres a lot of opponents that have em on the ropes and they find a way to win whether its Ohio State or Indiana who has a great chance to win the game, but they come back and beat them.So it says that you obviously have that winning attitude that you can close out games. But I think more than anything else is Michigan State is going to play the game with that mental and physical toughness and you have to match it.Notre Dame showed its own share of mental toughness in last weeks victory over Nevada, bouncing back from a double-overtime loss to Texas in the season-opener.The Fighting Irish allowed 50 points and more than 500 total yards in that game but were much more solid in the win over Nevada. What hasnt changed in two weeks has been the play of quarterback DeShone Kizer, who has taken control of the job he split with Malik Zaire in the opener. His passer rating is top-five in the nation and hes been nearly perfect in the red zone, completing seven of 10 passes with five touchdowns.Overall, the Irish have gained 444 total yards in each of the first two games, running for 239 against Nevada. Its that sort of production that has the attention of the Spartans.I would say overall their offense is extremely athletic and theyve got a lot of players, fifth-year senior linebacker Riley Bullough said. Kizer, hes an athletic guy, he can throw the ball but he can also take it and run. So to combat that, youve got to be fundamentally sound on defense. Everyones got to do their job. Theyve got to do it every single play for the entire game.Michigan State had a bye in week two, giving them time to straighten out several issues from an uninspiring victory over Furman in the season-opener that featured 10 penalties and a pair of turnovers.So instead of taking it easy during the bye, the Spartans went to work, fixing their own issues while getting a jump on the Irish.Ive been reminded by one of our coaches weve had one game in six weeks since coming here on Aug. 5, Dantonio said. So hopefully practice makes perfect. ... Again, weve waited. 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On Tuesday, the Big 12 authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to start exploring expansion candidates.Bowlsby and Oklahoma president and Big 12 board chairman David Boren said the factors the league would consider would include strength of football program, fan base, media market, reputation and academic standing.Through that prism, heres how potential expansion candidates stack up:NOTE: In each section, teams are listed in order of likeliness of being invited to join the league.The favoritesBYU: With the strongest football program of any available non-Power 5 program, the Cougars have been at the top of the list from the very beginning. Along with Houston, BYU topped an ESPN poll of the leagues football coaches, presumably for that very reason. BYU has defeated Big 12 flagships Texas and Oklahoma in the past seven years, and dating back to 1980, only Nebraska, Florida State, Ohio State, Miami, Florida and the Sooners have won more games than BYU. Through the Mormon Church, the Cougars have a national following, with an average home attendance (58,000) that wouldve ranked fourth in the Big 12 last year. Though the campus is roughly 2,000 miles away from Big 12 member West Virginia, BYU would give the conference a presence in the Mountain Time Zone, creating interesting TV opportunities for the league, while, perhaps, bolstering the Big 12s revenue distribution potential down the line. BYU not playing on Sundays would create issues in Olympic sports scheduling, notably baseball, softball and womens soccer; that obstacle and the schools proximity to the rest of the league is why a football-only option could be on the table for the Cougars. That, however, is not preferable for the Big 12.Cincinnati: For the reason BYUs geographys might work against it, Cincinnatis location is one of the schools biggest assets in Big 12 expansion. Whether the Big 12 chose to expand by two or four, Cincinnati could be logically paired with virtually any expansion candidate. West Virginias leadership has been a proponent of Big 12 expansion, provided that through expansion the Mountaineers wind up with a travel partner, like Cincinnati, that makes sense. School president Santa Ono has been working furiously behind the scenes to get the school into the Big 12, though hell be leaving for the University of British Columbia in August. Cincinnati recently renovated Nippert Stadium, plays in a top-40 TV market and has big businesses, notably Cincinnati-based Kroger and Macys, behind its candidacy.The other hopefulsHouston:?UH is all-in on Big 12 expansion, with both president Renu Khator and athletic director Hunter Yurachek issuing statements Wednesday touting the university. I am thrilled to have this opportunity, Khator said, to showcase the University of Houston. Billionaire and UH regents chairman Tilman Fertitta told ESPN Wednesday that, We feel like we have a lot to offer. The Cougars have enjoyed a football resurgence at an opportune time, with Tom Herman delivering a 13-1 record last year. UH also has a massive enrollment and plays in the fourth-biggest city in the country. UH will be making the case that the SEC has begun to take over the city of Houston, and that only the Cougars can deliver it back to the Big 12.Connecticut: The Huskies are situated among several major markets in the Northeast and could help the Big 12 find footing in the region, the way Rutgers opened up New York City to the Big Ten, which might help in future TV negotiations. The question is whether that, along with UConns solid academics and terrific basketball programs, would outweigh the proximity problem and UConns mediocre football.UCF: Central Florida boasts the largest undergraduate enrollment inn the country and operates out of the 19th-largest TV market.ddddddddddddThose are both major positives. There ought to be a home for us in the Big 12, UCF president John Hitt said Wednesday. Theres a sense among some that UCF has tremendous upside and would thrive playing in a major conference, especially with so much in-state high school talent and an up-and-coming coach in Scott Frost. On the other hand, UCF has virtually no football tradition, going 0-12 last year. Its also difficult to envision the fans in Norman and Austin getting fired up to go watch the Sooners and Longhorns take on the Knights.Memphis: FedEx has been dangling millions of advertising dollars in front of the Big 12 in exchange for a Memphis invite to the Big 12. On top of that, in a letter to West Virginia president Gordon Gee, Memphis president David Rudd said that the schools partnership with FedEx would uniquely position [Memphis] to request only a portion of new revenue for several years until renegotiation of the conference media [rights] agreement occurs. In other words, Memphis, conceivably, would be willing to accept partial distribution of conference revenue all the way until 2024-25. That would be worth millions to current Big 12 members and should, at the least, command the leagues attention.Colorado State: If the Big 12 focuses west in expansion with BYU, Colorado State would make sense as a second (or fourth) school. CSU claims the Denver market and could re-expand (after Colorados departure in 2011) the Big 12 footprint into Colorado in a way that doesnt create a logistical nightmare. Rams athletic director Joe Parker has close ties to the conference, having worked at Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas, which, as one Big 12 administrator pointed out, is a real advantage for CSU. The Rams are also building a $200 million on-campus stadium that would be ready by the time CSU would join the Big 12.The long shotsTulane: Conference chairman?Boren noted that academic standing would be a component in expansion exploration. That makes Tulane, with its terrific academic profile, a true dark horse. The city of New Orleans could also entice the Big 12 from a market and recruiting point. If the Big 12 expanded by two, Tulane would probably have no chance, but if the league expanded by four, Tulane just might become a factor.Boise State: Boise State has won 10 or more games 13 times since 1999, and the football appeal of the Broncos to the Big 12 fan bases would be stronger than most candidates out there. But would that alone capture the Big 12s attention? Boise doesnt have much else to offer.USF: The Bulls picked an awfully bad time to have an academic fraud scandal. USF was already a long-shot candidate. This latest development could be a dagger to their candidacy.The you-never-knowUCLA: Former UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel caused a stir Wednesday when he said on Sirius XM College Sports that he wouldnt be surprised if the Bruins gave a move to the Big 12 serious thought. Before you ask why UCLA would consider leaving the comforts of the Pac-12 for the Big 12, remember this: Kansas State generated three times more Tier 3 revenue through K-StateHD.TV than UCLA received from the struggling Pac-12 Network. The Pac-12 grant of rights is up before the Big 12s, and as one industry insider put it, if Pac-12 commish Larry Scott can flirt with Texas and Oklahoma, whats stopping Bob Bowlsby from doing the same with the Bruins? Who knows -- UCLA could be tempted to make a brand-defining break from USC in the same vein of Texas A&Ms SEC move away from Texas. ' ' '