Michigan State, All Grown Up

Since being called "little brother" by a Michigan running back eight years ago, Michigan State has put a whuppin' on its rival. Now, with another trip to Ann Arbor looming, the Spartans are closing in on the one goal that will finally put the perennial underdogs over the top - a national title.

- Ryan McGee

Lansing, Michigan, is still an Oldsmobile town.

The good folks here build Chevrolets now. Not just any Chevys, mind you. Camaros. They also manufacture SUVs for Buick and GMC. The preferred vehicle, though, remains a brand name that hasn’t put a new car on the road since April 29, 2004. That’s when the last, burgundy Alero rolled off the line at the assembly plant down on the Grand River founded by Ransom Olds himself.

More than a decade later, five short miles away in East Lansing, Oldsmobiles surround Spartan Stadium like a moat on game days. Parking lots are dotted with 88s, 98s and 442s. The PA announcements are of another era: “Michigan license plate THR-892, you left your headlights on. It’s a green Oldsmobile Bravada …”

Even this particular game day has the feel of the old days—or perhaps a new era, depending on your perspective. It’s half an hour before the noon kickoff against Air Force, and the Spartans are just a week removed from a 31-28 win over then-No. 7 Oregon. A 40-something who refers to himself as Big Bill is standing in a Chestnut Road parking lot alongside his Lansing-born automobile, holding court to the encouragement of the green-and white masses as they march toward the gates.

“Mine’s starting to rust out,” he proudly declares, pointing to an ’87 Calais, silver with a Sparty green interior. “But both my parents worked on these cars, and I’ll drive it until the damn thing catches fire. Those big Detroit brands are flashier. But Oldsmobile was born in Lansing. It’s old. It’s Olds. But it’s ours, and we don’t give a damn what you think. That’s how we do it here.”