Michigan Made: Spartans Deep in the Heart of Texas

I am the first "Pants" male in my family to step foot in Texas.

I have to admit, I am homesick already. I miss my wife, cats, fan, belt and bed. Yup, I forgot my friggin' belt! This is my second time ever visiting a city by plane and first time traveling alone. 10 years ago I flew to Amsterdam and let me tell you, it was A LOT different than this. Now, Dallas is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. At night, it's breathtaking. Some of the skyscrapers are lit up for the season. By the Omni, where the media is located, they have these huge ornaments. All day people have been stopping for selfies. 

The media station is located at the Omni Hotel and wow, do they do it B1G in Dallas. When I checked in for my media credential, they gave me a Cotton Bowl pullover. The Cotton Bowl folks are very nice and the ballroom is like something from a movie.

I also have to admit, the disrespect of my team is getting to me. I am a member of "the media" but I understand people's frustration with it. Just sitting here typing, listening to the Alabama and Michigan beat writers "you'll have to reach higher, hahaha." They seem to have fun mocking us and reminding us they beat us 49-7 the last time we played them in a bowl. Even though not ONE member of those teams are still playing.

So, sitting in this room of hot air, I had to get away before I exploded. I took a walk down from the Omni to the Pioneer Plaza and it was a much needed distraction. Even the walk there offered major eye candy for this tourist.

Seeing the beauty of Dallas, really calmed me down. Then, I ran into a familiar face, my buddy Darrell Wiles from Holt. Darrell and I went to the Oregon, Air Force and Penn State games together. His kids Josh and Holly perform in the MSU Marching Band. So far, Josh has played at the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl twice in one year. Seeing him and his wife Sarah was like seeing family and really made me feel less homesick.

Darrell drove down from Michigan and offered me a sick stat. Nick Saban is 9-0 against his former assistants. One of those games is the 49-7 beating Alabama put on us in the Capital One Bowl in 2011. A good trivia question is: What MSU QB threw for that TD? Keith Nichol. Alabama opened their season at AT&T stadium with a 35-17 win over a B1G 10 team, Wisconsin. MSU hopes their season ends there too.

The last time MSU played here, they overcame a 20 point hole and rallied for one of the greatest Spartan bowl victories ever. The Spartans are 7-1 in their last 8 games against top 10 opponents.

My ace arrives tomorrow, Mrs. Pants and we are looking forward to a victory for MSU. If not, Dallas has been awesome to me. The Cotton Bowl hospitality is second to none. It's true: EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas.

Travel Tip #1 for Dallas. GET A DRIVER! It's a navigational nightmare!

Get up with Joey LIVE in Dallas tomorrow 6-10am.