I spent all of Wednesday up at Michigan State for national signing day. Not exactly my favorite day of the year, especially when a mid-winter storm turns my commute home into three hours of slip-and-slide, but one thing MSU coach Mark Dantonio said caught my attention.

Dantonio said he told recruit Charles Burrell to imagine himself playing in the Rose Bowl "because that's where (we) will be within four or five years from now. And I can almost promise any young person who comes here that will happen."

That's a bold declaration coming from a program that last reached Pasadena in 1987 and played in a bowl game last year for the first time since 2003. There's nothing at all wrong with Dantonio's confidence — it's welcome, in fact — but it got me wondering just how realistic MSU in the Rose Bowl is by 2012.

If I can put on my handicapper's hat for a minute, I can't see the Spartans competing for a Big Ten title next year. Ohio State will be too good, and if the Buckeyes reach another BCS championship game (third time's a charm, right?) Illinois and Wisconsin appear next in line to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.

In 2009, the Spartans will have a new quarterback (Nick Foles?) and feature running back (Andre Anderson?), which in all likelihood means a step back in the standings. That leaves three seasons for Dantonio to accomplish his goal. Is it possible? Sure, who saw Illinois ascending this high when Ron Zook came aboard in 2005? But probable? I say no.

I think Mark Dantonio did a fine job in his first season at MSU. He re-established some valuable relationships on the recruiting trail, especially in inner-city Detroit. He overachieved on the field. And he did a fine job uniting a fan base fractured by four seasons of John L. Smith.

But the Rose Bowl remains sacred land in the Big Ten, and I don't foresee MSU reaching it in the near future. Ohio State is too dominant (except in January), Michigan has a more dynamic coach who will be able to recruit better athletes, and Wisconsin, Illinois and even Penn State (especially when Joe Paterno finally retires and Greg Schiano takes over) all pose formidable hurdles for the Spartans.

Dantonio might prove me wrong and make good on his promise, but I wouldn't bet on it a day after Signing Day, 2008.