Saturday kicks off one of the most tenacious and bitter rivalries in all of American sports. A local fued fueled by pride and envy that may have grown too big for it’s boots in recent years.
Of course, the Wolverines have historically dominated the rivalry against the Spartans. The all-time record is 72-38-5, with Michigan holding the current streak at just one game. However, last year’s dominant victory holds the scar of a post-game conflict that left two Michigan players injured and a beam of reflection cast upon the intensity of the conflict.
The events in the tunnel at The Big House aren’t the only thing giving this game a different spin. Michigan State is in the midst of firing their former head coach for cause, giving the program a different set of priorities as their team struggles through the season.
The tunnel and Tucker situations may have the fans checking their notes, but rest assured that both staffs and rosters are absolutely locked in. The Wolverines are ranked No. 2 in the country and are in hot pursuit of a national title. Michigan State? It’s been a rough season. The Spartans are 2-4 and currenly sit in the basement at sixth in the East half of the conference. This does mean, however, that they have nothing to lose. Expect MSU to throw the book at Michigan. With the Spartans trending away from a bowl game, this is likely their only chance to make this season memorable.
What does that mean for Michigan? Be disciplined. The Wolverines have the clearly better roster and coaching staff, so a win will come naturally unless the team gets out of focus. Run the ball, cut down on penalties, and play hard defense. That is the Michigan key to a win.
On paper, this game should be a blowout. Rivalry games tend to end up close to matter what, but I’m going to side with a strong Michigan victory here. I’ll take the Wolverines by a score of 30-10, marking their smallest margin of victory this season.