Michigan ranks No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 1 in Bill Connelly’s S&P+. Reigning Big Ten champion Michigan State ranks No. 81 in S&P+, and if the Spartans slip a couple more spots, they’ll be the worst of five FBS teams in Michigan.
Michigan fans, exactly how many points do you want to beat Michigan State by?
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These teams play Saturday at noon on ESPN. The Wolverines opened as 21-point road favorites, and that’s since risen to 24.
A few facts:
- MSU has beaten Michigan six of the last seven years, with a few total devastations, like the time one of the country’s proudest manball programs ran for -48 yards in 2013.
- Even when the Wolverines have had the Spartans on the ropes, Michigan State won the 2009 game in overtime and pulled off the most memorable ending of 2015. UM’s only win since Mark Dantonio’s second year came on a last-second field goal.
- Dantonio is key here. He talked big even after losing his rivalry debut and threw back a Michigan player’s “little brother” comment, which went from one running back’s nickname for MSU to something Spartans fans would chant at UM.
- Jim Harbaugh’s back. His team is so good, it can put 78 points on a Power 5 (technically) opponent while sending out third-stringers in the third quarter. And Harbaugh’s so ruthless, he’ll keep trying two-pointers and stuff with the game already well in hand ... and that’s against non-rivals.
- Michigan might have the country’s best defense, and that might be underselling it. MSU has scored more than 28 points only twice all year, and those came in a 14-point loss to Northwestern and against lowly Notre Dame.
- The only time all year UM has scored fewer than 41 points was in a 14-7 win against Wisconsin, the hibernating bear that you can only defeat by wriggling beneath and bench-pressing. It’s hard and takes a long time. MSU gave up 30 to UW, which is more than Georgia State allowed.
What I’m saying is: this score could get ugly*, like as ugly as Washington taking out a decade of frustration on Oregon.
So Michigan fans, how ugly do you want it to get? What level of savagery would satisfy you here?
* It could also be the game itself that gets ugly, either in a personal-hostilities way -- this is the rivalry where the Spartans intentionally ran up the score after Wolverines jammed tent stakes into MSU’s field, and it’s one of the birthplaces of the bizarre tradition that is taking victory laps after targeting ejections -- or just in a B1G-nooner way. Also, keeping this one competitive might be the greatest proof yet that Dantonio’s program really does gain superpowers from DISRESPECT.
Elsewhere!
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UCF’s refusal to participate in UConn’s made-up rivalry earns it a top-10 spot in Spencer Hall’s Top Whatever rankings, which doesn’t even go to 10 this week.
The Big 12’s realignment circus reportedly earned it a one-time payment of [Dr. Evil voice] $1 million per school from ESPN.
UCLA’s bowl hopes are in danger, and Jim Mora’s now revealed QB Josh Rosen’s injury status: a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder.
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