The allure of college football cupcakes

UNDATED (WJRT) -- (11/07/09) -- There are so many things to love about college football season -- the brisk autumn air, the smell of a tailgate cookout, the camaraderie of a stadium full of boisterous fans. And don't forget the cupcakes.

We're not talking about diminutive dessert cakes covered with frosting and sprinkles. Cupcakes are a part of any big-time college football program's diet. Ohio State gets fat on Toledo and Youngstown State long before they play their annual game against Michigan.

Top-ranked Florida started this season by playing Charleston Southern and Troy back to back. Did you even know those were colleges? Honestly, I'm still not convinced they are.

And the Wolverines once started a season against some lowly unknowns from the FCS named Appalachian State. Oops. Too soon Michigan fans?

As the Moutaineers proved to Michigan in 2007, there is a downside to cupcakes that goes beyond the "moment-on-the-lips, forever-on-the-hips" theory. There's something to be said about scheduling an easy opponent, one that you would beat 99 out of 100 times. After all, everyone does it. But what about that 100th time?

If you lose, you never shake the stink. There will always be obnoxious Spartan fans that rib the Wolverines about their loss to Appalachian State. Michigan State fans may be equally annoyed if you start chanting "Fire up Chips!" in their general directions.

It was the Central Michigan Chippewas, after all, that stormed East Lansing in September and shocked Sparty in what should have been a cupcake matchup on paper. Upsets. Cinderella. It's the stuff of fairy tales and it's what these small schools live for. Everyone cheers when David beats Goliath.

That's not the only incentive for David, either. Big schools pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in appearance fees for small schools to come visit their stadium.

Appalachian State left Ann Arbor with a victory and a very large check. For an institution struggling with their sports budget, it's an offer that's impossible to turn down. One football game could cover the program's entire budget. And don't forget that television exposure comes into play, too.

But what's the incentive for Goliath? Even if you win, you didn't prove anything. Everyone expected you to. You're more likely to feel relief than joy after a win like that. And if you lose, you're a punch line. No, you can't truly win when you're talking about cupcakes.

For some fans, they may never accept the triviality of playing a lesser opponent, for the risk is far greater than the reward.  But when Western Michigan visits East Lansing this Saturday, it won't be all about cupcakes. It will be about charity, compassion and community.

Late this summer, Michigan State University entered into an agreement with three of the state's directional schools -- Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. All three universities hail from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and don't regularly get a chance to play against Big Ten-level talent.

In the deal, the Spartans agreed to play 12 games against these schools from 2011-20, playing each team three times at MSU and once on the other school's home field. 

And it was all done with the state's struggling economy in mind. They even called it the Celebrate State Football Series.  The idea is to keep millions of dollars inside the state of Michigan while also assisting the individual universities by reducing travel expenses and appearance fees.

Schools spend a lot of money to travel to their nonconference road games and home football games pump millions of dollars into the local economy. It made perfect sense to the athletic directors of these institutions to keep all that money here.

In this case, the reward was worth the risk for Michigan State. They risk the possibility of an embarrassing defeat to one of these teams, but they'll know they are doing their part to build a better Michigan economy while helping the financial situations of three fellow state schools.

Some lament the cupcakes. But there's no need for eater's remorse. Sometimes there's just a deeper story, and after all, it wouldn't be college football season without them.

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