Following Michigan State’s colossal win against age old rivals Michigan, Spartans linebacker Greg Jones told reporters “We just stay class and get the job done.” Jones is right. MSU has simply got the job thus far this season. The Michigan State faithful have seen their football team beat Notre Dame in overtime, a #11 ranked Wisconsin team, and Michigan in Ann Arbor. They’ve persevered through head coach Mike Dantonio heart attack and losing senior cornerback Chris L. Rucker to off-the-field issues. Junior quarterback Kirk Cousins has guided Sparty’s offense brilliant in the first six weeks of the season throwing 10 TDs to 4 INTs. It has been MSU’s vaunted running game, however, that has made Dantonio’s team successful. Michigan State’s young backfield duo of Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell have combined for 1,232 rushing yards already this season. The Spartans must stay focused this weekend as they play Illinois (fresh off a 33-13 shellacking of Penn State), but one would think MSU would prevail at home. Could this be a dream season for East Lansing? It certainly has been euphoric so far this season for Spartan Nation.

Coach Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas Razorbacks have been perfect thus far in 2010. Pulling off a huge win off this weekend in style over the Georgia Bulldogs 31-24, Arkansas faces #1 ranked Alabama this Saturday. Heisman Trophy candidate Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks beat up on Tennessee Tech and Louisiana-Monroe in the first two weeks of the season, before defeating Georgia on last minute drive in week 3. The proficient Mallett hit wide out Greg Wilds for a 40-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to seal the Razorbacks win in Athens. Arkansas will host the Crimson Tide at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama look poised to contend for another national championship this year after soundly beating Penn State 24-3 in week 2. Petrino’s offense will by far be the best offense Alabama has seen so far this year. If the Razorbacks can down the defending champions in Fayetteville this weekend you can start ringing the national championship bell at the University of Arkansas.

When is it too young to offer a potential college football recruit a scholarship? The NCAA is considering banning football programs from offering scholarships to recruits before they complete their sophomore year in high school. A ruling could require schools to wait until the the summer before a recruit’s junior season to get their commitment. USC head coach Lane Kiffin made a lot of people cringe when he reportedly offered a scholarship to a 13-year-old quarterback. While Kiffin was the head man at Tennessee he also offered a 14-year-old a full ride. It seems to me that allowing coaches and scouts into the lives of kids before they’re even in high school should be avoided. Not that college football programs cannot be aware of young talent coming up through ranks, but offering a kid who hasn’t even stepped inside a high school is over the line. The age limitation would allow recruits enough time to think about where they want to play without the immediate pressure to commit coming everyday from college coaches before they can legally drive a car. Hopefully we see this ruling pass soon.

In only two years, the University of Michigan’s football team has made serious strides towards ruining their long-standing reputation as one of the cleanest programs in the country. Head coach Rich Rodriguez and six other U of M staffers have been “reprimanded” by the school in some form or another. The school plans to force the football program to practice 120 hours less over the next two years, as well as, limit the number of quality control staffers to five to three. I seriously doubt these self-imposed restrictions will deter the NCAA from issuing the school some infractions of their own, but it doesn’t hurt. We shall see how the Wolverines limit their practices over this season. If Rodriguez is unable to have a good season this year, it’s likely he’ll be fired anyway. When the Wolverines pressured Lloyd Carr to retire and hired Rich Rodriguez they broke a line of coaching ties that date back to Bo Schemblecher’s first year as head coach in 1969. The Wolverines have taken two giant steps backward the past two seasons, and things don’t appear to be getting any better.

Eighty-three year old head coach Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions could have a great year this coming season if they fix a few problems on their team. The biggest mystery heading into the fall will be who of PSU’s three underclassmen will be the signal caller for their opener against Youngstown State. The coaching staff have made it known that after disappointing performance by all three QBs will be pushed hard this summer until one of them wins the position. Running the ball should come a lot easier for the Nittany Lions with 1,000-yard-rusher Evan Royster returning for his senior year. On defense, Penn State will have to replace their two leading tacklers Josh Hull and Navaro Bowman, both be plying their trade on Sundays in the NFL next season. Their schedule looks favorable this season, with only Iowa and Ohio State being there only away games that they could be considered underdogs in. Joe Pa would love another  Big Ten title after just losing out to OSU last year.

University of Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez is in trouble again. The NCAA has published its conclusion stating the Wolverines violated NCAA rules in the first year and a half in Rodriguez’s reign in Ann Arbor. Players were required to practice more than the allotted time for collegiate players to practice during the season and off season. “Rich Rod” hasn’t been a hit on the field either with his Wolverines going 8-16 during his two seasons in the job. Michigan may pull emulate USC by inflicting self-imposed sanctions to lessen the apparently unavoidable NCAA sanctions that will be decided in August. Michigan’s athletic director David Brandon gave Rodriguez a vote of confidence stating that his job is safe in 2010, but if the former West Virgina head coach doesn’t have a good season this year it could be his last at U of M.

The Golden-Domers of South Bend are getting what they paid for when they hired Brian Kelly as Notre Dame’s head football coach: change. You can say what you want about Charlie Weis, but he did bring in big name recruits while Kelly has so far this recruiting season gone after lesser coveted recruits that can play multiple positions. The flash of the big names like Jimmy Clausen and Michael Floyd didn’t help the Fightin’ Irish last year very much as Charlie Weis was fired after a terrible 2009 season.

Kelly over his career has helped turn around two Division I programs in Central Michigan and Cincinnati. The 48-year-old coach won two Division II National Championships with Grand Valley State, a Mac Championship with Central Michigan, and this past season had Cincinnati playing in a BCS bowl game. Brian Kelly might be doing things differently, but he does have a track record for success. Notre Dame will be one of the most scrutinized teams in the NCAA this year as everyone waits to see how Brian Kelly fares in his first year at the Irish’s helm.