Michigan offensive tackle and projected first-round NFL draft choice Taylor Lewan stood on the sidelines in Spartan Stadium and watched as “little brother”, a nickname former Michigan running back Mike Hart dubbed the Michigan State Spartans, stormed the field in celebration of MSU’s fifth win in six contests against the Wolverines. The look of anguish on Lewan’s features matched the bloody and bruised composition of his profile, as Michigan State physically punished its bitter rival from Ann Arbor.

And the beating was vicious. The Wolverines conceded 7 sacks while only mustering 168 total yards, including a horrendous rushing total of -48. While bruises heal and pain fades with time, this particular bout of fisticuffs produced internal bleeding for the Michigan program that has nation-wide ramifications.

The Wolverines were not only physically pounded by Michigan State – they were humiliated in the process, as Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio invited over 100 high school recruits to East Lansing to witness the event. One game generally does not alter the direction of programs, but this wasn’t just any game.

“I’ve got to say, this one feels different,” Josh Helmholdt, the Midwest recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, told the Detroit Free Press. “For one thing, now it’s five out of six games [that MSU has won], and that’s a powerful thing to sell. And it drastically affects the season for both teams,” as the Spartans continue their march to the Rose Bowl while Michigan’s BCS bowl dreams are laid to rest.

The difference Helmholdt describes involves a seismic recruiting shift that has restructured the fault lines within the Big Ten conference, and one that has spilled over nationally.

Mark Dantonio wasted no time keeping the momentum churning after MSU’s victory, panning the drying Big Ten recruiting streams. Cass Tech, a high school in Detroit with a pipeline to the University of Michigan, was abuzz with Mark Dantonio’s post-Michigan victory visit. Cass Tech defensive coordinator Jermain Crowell tweeted, “Coach Dantonio is one of the coaches who is good for Football! I’m still a Michigan fan but other teams are working harder and I can see the change.”

Similar results were seen at Detroit King High School, with assistant coach Terel Patrick tweeting, “Coach Dantonio got rock star treatment at King today. I can see this state swinging one week at a time. #WalmartSparty #GoGreen.”

Sirens of warning should be sounding throughout Ann Arbor. The program Michigan has unaffectionately termed “little brother” is starting to undergo the metamorphosis of maturity, with developing muscles and a change in voice. Michigan State, a program that gathers most of its talent from Michigan and Ohio – two states that make up 64% of MSU’s 2014 commitments – is impressing some of Michigan’s very best athletes.

Jayru Campbell is a Class of 2015 elite recruit and dual-threat quarterback from Detroit’s Cass Tech. His athleticism, size and agility drew the attention of the nation’s very best programs, with Alabama and Notre Dame heavily in pursuit. The recruiting saga of a player like Campbell ordinarily plays out one of two ways: either selecting a national powerhouse out of state, or following Cass Tech’s long-standing pipeline to the University of Michigan. But times have changed, and Jayru Campbell spurned Alabama, Notre Dame and Michigan by tracing the trail Dantonio has spent years imprinting, leading to a commitment to Michigan State.

The trail Dantonio has blazed is still new, and overall it compares unfavorably to the historic highway Michigan has enjoyed. Even now, with all the success Michigan State has earned on the gridiron during the Dantonio era, the Spartans trail the Wolverines on the recruiting front. Michigan currently sits with the 18th recruiting class in the nation to Michigan State’s 32nd ranking. But the mere fact a trail exists is a new and important development, and one that has chipped at the foundation of the Michigan program by creating in-roads for other national powers. While most of the 100 recruits in Spartan Stadium will not choose to play football at Michigan State simply because of the Wolverines’ defeat, they may choose to ultimately drop Michigan from consideration instead, an equally devastating prospect for the maize and blue.

Da’Shawn Hand is the number one high school football player in America for the Class of 2014. The 6’4”, 250 pound defensive end and Maryland native had long been considered to be a Michigan commitment in everything but name. That changed on November 14th when Hand selected Alabama to be his future home, a mere 12 days after Michigan’s blowout at the hands of the Spartans.

Hand’s pledge to the Crimson Tide was an unexpected blow for Michigan due to how Hand became interested in the Wolverines in the first place. Jabrill Peppers, current Michigan commitment and #2 ranked high school football player in America for the Class of 2014, intrigued Hand by pitching the idea of becoming the first top-ranked duo since the dawn of Internet recruiting to sign with the same team. A relationship once an outlet of power for the University of Michigan has since become a point of vulnerability. Will Hand now utilize the same tactic and attempt to sway Peppers away from Michigan and toward Tuscaloosa? The concern is real – Alabama recruited Peppers with gusto prior to his commitment to the Wolverines.

Michigan State’s haymaker to Michigan created woes beyond Da’Shawn Hand and the insecurity of Jabrill Peppers’ commitment. Elite California safety John “JuJu” Smith cancelled his visit to Michigan four days after the Spartans’ victory.

“JuJu Smith said he thinks Michigan is a great school, but not a fit for him,” reported ESPN recruiting analyst Tom VanHaaren. “[Smith] cancelled his visit [and] said losses caused them to drop on his list.”

Smith is a top target for Notre Dame and was in attendance for the Fighting Irish’s night victory over USC, and headed back to California extremely impressed. By cancelling his visit to Michigan Smith’s recruitment has narrowed into a two-way recruiting battle between Notre Dame and the Trojans.

The cheers of the Spartan faithful as they defeated their “big brother” for the fifth time in six years verberated far beyond the confines of Spartan Stadium. The effects of Michigan’s loss have altered the power structure within the Big Ten, as elite in-state recruits are beginning to sign with the Spartans over the traditional Wolverines. Additionally, Dantonio’s Michigan State squad has damaged the Michigan brand to the point Alabama and Notre Dame have already seen dividends a mere two weeks after the Spartan conquest, and the long-term shockwaves are still pulsating their destruction toward future Michigan recruiting classes.

Michigan State huffed, puffed, and blew “big brother’s” Big House down, and changed the dynamics of recruiting in the process. And now the Alabamas, Ohio States and Notre Dames are scavenging the cracking foundation to solidify their own.

Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles, as well as appeared on MSNBC as a sports contributor. In his spare time he takes his NCAA Football ’13 online dynasty way too seriously and alienates those around him by discussing football 24 hours a day. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com