EAST LANSING — Michigan State’s bid for one of the “New Year’s Six” bowls got a boost with the Spartans’ impressive 45-3 win over Rutgers on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Michigan State (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) needs to close the regular season with a win at Penn State (6-5, 2-5) next week in order to put itself in prime position for one of the elite bowls — the Orange, Cotton, Fiesta or Peach — just outside of the four-team College Football Playoff.

The Spartans were officially eliminated from the Big Ten championship race Saturday when Ohio State beat Indiana, 42-27.

Michigan State QB Connor Cook and his teammates, however, already are looking ahead to the possibility of an appearance in an elite New Year’s Day bowl. - Read more at MLive.com