“I’m really disappointed that we can’t go to the Rose Bowl because most likely Wisconsin is going to be going and we beat them,” he said.

“I mean, we pretty much handled Wisconsin.”

MSU beat Penn State, 28-22, winning in Penn State’s stadium for the first time since 1965 and sealing a share of the Big Ten championship. However, Ohio State also beat Michigan, 37-7, and Wisconsin beat Northwestern, 70-23, leaving the championship split into thirds and the teams’ Rose Bowl dreams up to the BCS rankings.

Advertising senior Lauren Christopherson traveled to Penn State this weekend to visit and attend the game with her cousins.

“It felt really cool to be a part of it,” Christopherson said. “I feel like I always remember us losing to Penn State. That’s always the last game of the year, and I just knew this game was going to be different.”

The Peanut Barrel, 521 E. Grand River Ave., saw plenty of customers, including students, who stayed throughout Saturday’s game, despite the holiday weekend, co-owner Joe Bell said.

“I would call (the crowd) about the same for an average Saturday, but without the game we would’ve been less,” Bell said. “It was a smattering of everybody, young and old alike.”

Regardless of where the team ends up playing its bowl game, the Big Ten championship is a historic moment for MSU, Dantonio said.

“This hasn’t been done in 20 years,” Dantonio said. “And when you do something like that, it’s a moment that you remember for the rest of your life.”
Wiggins said he predicts MSU will head to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

He and his parents already made hotel reservations in the hotel the MSU football team stayed in for the game two years ago, but he still is hoping to get a different bowl game.

“We’re pretty used to going to Orlando for bowl games,” Wiggins said. “We kind of want to go to a different bowl because out of the last four years, it’ll be three times (at an Orlando game) now.”

Wiggins said he was impressed with Saturday’s game and was thrilled to win a Big Ten championship, but still is disappointed with the team’s Oct. 30 37-6 loss to Iowa.

“I’ve gotten used to being disappointed all the time, so seeing Michigan State go 11-1 — it’s a miracle,” Wiggins said. “If we went undefeated, we wouldn’t even being talking about the Rose Bowl. We might be talking about the national championship.”

Although chances look slim, mathematics freshman Stephen Salens said he’ll be going to Pasadena if MSU wins its Rose Bowl bid. A student section ticket holder, Salens said he hopes a championship his freshman year will lead to even better seasons while he attends MSU.

“It was pretty cool, just being a part of (the school during a championship season),” Salens said. “I think (the team will) get better over the years (with) better recruits coming in.”

Considering the caliber of teams MSU football faced and the win over Wisconsin, Wiggins said MSU clearly had a better season and deserves the Rose Bowl slot.

“Our season was more impressive than (Wisconsin’s and Ohio State’s), especially with us beating Wisconsin too,” he said.