MSU's Dantonio: Holiday Bowl bid vs. Washington State not a slight

EAST LANSING — Mark Dantonio refused to call Michigan State being bypassed by Michigan for a Florida bowl game a letdown.

Even though his players took to Twitter to express their frustrations that they’re going to California.

“Hey, life's about how you handle disappointments,” Dantonio said Sunday at Breslin Center. “And I would not say going to the Holiday Bowl is a big disappointment.”

Still, Michigan State is going to California and won’t be playing on New Year’s Day. The 19th-ranked Spartans will take on No. 21 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 in San Diego.

MSU (9-3) has never played in the Holiday Bowl before. The Spartans are 5-2 all-time against the Pac-12 Cougars (9-3), who defeated MSU, 23-21, the last time the met in 1977.

MSU’s last trip to California was for the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2014.

More: Michigan State football miffed after Outback Bowl picks Michigan

“I’ve coached for 30-plus seasons right now. Basically everything I’ve ever heard about the Holiday Bowl is extremely first-class. They’ve had a great bowl game throughout the years,” Dantonio said. “A place we’ve not gone yet, so I’m very excited about the Southern California alumni base and Arizona base as well being able to see us playing.”

Still, after weeks of expecting to head to one of two bowl games in Florida, hearing the Holiday Bowl – in a non-New Year’s Day game that starts at 9 p.m. Eastern on a Thursday night in December on Fox Sports 1 – was anticlimactic for players and fans.

A number of bowl analysts projected the Spartans to either the Citrus Bowl in Orlando or Outback Bowl in Tampa. However, those games went in different directions – including a choice that smacked MSU in the face following a 9-3 turnaround campaign after going without a bowl game for the first time in Dantonio’s 11 seasons.

Wisconsin is in the Orange Bowl because of contractual obligations with the Big Ten, so the Citrus Bowl could not select a Big Ten team and instead has Notre Dame vs. LSU. Michigan got a berth to the Outback Bowl, where the Wolverines will face South Carolina.

The Spartans defeated U-M this season, 14-10, in Ann Arbor.

MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke tweeted, “LOL.” Freshman cornerback Josiah Scott simply sent a face-palm emoji. Senior captain Chris Frey vented his venom more pointedly.

“What’s the point of playing a regular season if bowl decisions and made regardless of record?” Frey tweeted.

Wrote sophomore defensive end Kenny Willekes, “Used to think postseason awards & bowls were chosen based on what you do on the field but I now know it's a popularity contest. Interesting.”

The Spartans remained No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings, where they spent the final three weeks in the committee’s rankings. The Wolverines (8-4) have not been ranked since losing at Wisconsin on Nov. 18.

“Well, I just look at it as the opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl right now,” Dantonio said. “You know, the records are what they are. I’ll just continue to concentrate on beating Michigan. And things will sort of sort out.”

Washington State is No. 18 in the CFP rankings, while South Carolina – like U-M – is not ranked.

Dantonio complimented Washington State coach Mike Leach, calling the Cougars “a quality football team” that is in a similar situation as the Spartans with quality victories over USC, Oregon, Stanford and Boise State.

“It gives us an opportunity to play against a quality, top-20 opponent,” Dantonio said, “and an opportunity to win 10 football games. … So we’re gonna focus on what we can to make sure we come out of there with a 10th win, which not too many people in the country have an opportunity to win 10 games.”

This year was the first time in the four-year history of the College Football Playoff that the Big Ten does not have a representative. Ohio State played in 2014 and 2016, while MSU was in the 2015 semifinals. The Buckeyes won the championship the first year, but those two programs also were shut out in the semifinals the past two years by a combined score of 69-0.

That 38-0 loss to Alabama on Dec. 31, 2015, was the Spartans’ last postseason game.

“We’re used to being there. We have a football team that was in the playoffs two years ago. So that’s a positive for everybody,” Dantonio said. “I think everybody can draw on that and understand the culture that’s here and the substance and how we’ve played over a period of time.

“Obviously, we didn’t play in a bowl game last year, and we sort of got ourselves squared away and pushed back up to the top.”

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!