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Column: What's At Stake For Michigan, Michigan State This Weekend

The No. 6 Michigan Wolverines and No. 8 Michigan State Spartans renew their rivalry on Saturday with Big Ten East implications on the line. A win over the other would put a stamp on either program's season, though there might be a lot more on the line for the squad in Ann Arbor.

Saturday's game is the highest-ranked matchup in the series since 1964. MSU is 3-1 in the rivalry when both teams are ranked inside the top ten, but this is the first matchup of its ilk in nearly 60 years. This weekend's showdown will be historic no matter the result.

Here is a look at how we got here and what both teams could gain with a victory on Saturday in East Lansing.

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Michigan Wolverines running back Hassan Haskins
Michigan Wolverines running back Hassan Haskins (Rick Osentoski, USA Today)
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State Of The Rivalry

The Spartans have rebounded under head coach Mel Tucker quicker than anyone could have expected, even within the MSU fanbase. Tucker came in before the COVID-19 pandemic and spent most of the offseason teaching and recruiting over Zoom. A week two victory over Michigan as 24.5-point underdogs was the fuel they needed to show their process was working. A message was sent down the road in 2020 that these Spartans were not to be pushed around and would remain a threat to Michigan.

The MSU loss last season could not have been more damaging from a Michigan perspective. It was the moment that made clear huge changes were needed in Ann Arbor. Instead of winning the fourth game in five tries over the Spartans, they helped give rise again to a resurgent MSU program while dropping head coach Jim Harbaugh's record to 3-3 against the Spartans.

Ohio State will always be the ultimate bar for the Wolverines, but MSU has been a thorn in their side and accomplished more as a program since 2008. A loss for either squad on Saturday does not eliminate anyone from the Big Ten East race, but the victor gains the right for their respective game against OSU to matter the most.

Both Michigan and Michigan State strive to compete for Big Ten Championships. That is hard to accomplish if you wind up playing second fiddle in your state. Saturday is a No. 1 contender match for Ohio State's crown.

What's On The Line For Michigan State

Anyone who says they saw Michigan State's breakout season coming likely resides inside their football program. They are way ahead of schedule from where even the most optimistic outlook on Tucker's development plan could have expected. MSU expects to win and its play over seven weeks shows they belong in the conference title hunt. Given the over/under for wins was set at 4.5, the 7-0 Spartans have already smashed that.

A win for MSU would prove that last season was not a fluke and would give them a stranglehold on the state of Michigan. Tucker would have a 2-0 record vs. Michigan to sell to recruits as why they should join him in East Lansing (assuming he sticks around, of course). That would make him more of a boogeyman to Harbaugh than Mark Dantonio ever was. Above all else, they go into November with games at Purdue and against Maryland before a showdown with Ohio State on Nov. 20 in Columbus. Anything that happens for them after a potential win over Michigan would be gravy, but the goalposts move with a victory. They would truly control their destiny in the East division.

What's On The Line For Michigan

Michigan has taken the approach of one game at a time and "nameless, faceless" opponents. However, even they admit this one Saturday means a lot more.

This is a group that has internalized what happened in 2020 with some going as far as to admit they overlooked the Spartans last year.

They vow it will not happen again.

Michigan State ruined their 2020 season and sent them into a death spiral that had them questioning their identity. Harbaugh has stabilized all of that and the new staff has helped him establish a new culture that has pushed the program in a positive direction. They have an identity on both sides and want to play a smart, physical brand of football.

Mission accomplished so far.

Tucker's Spartans can lose this weekend and walk out of the stadium with their heads held high. This is year two of Tucker's rebuild, and he already has a win over the Wolverines. Their future is bright as long as he sticks around. Harbaugh does not have that luxury. Falling below .500 against Michigan State in seven seasons would be every bit as disappointing as the lack of success against the Buckeyes.

Saturday is Michigan's most important since 2016 and 2018 at Ohio State. This is a narrative game for Harbaugh and the Wolverines. A win gives them a chance to do something special, the same as the Spartans. A loss puts them back into a cycle of "what ifs" and missed opportunities that Harbaugh can ill afford moving forward.

Michigan's biggest goal is for the Ohio State game to be for a Big Ten East championship. It can still happen with a loss to MSU, but why not just take destiny into your own hands?

Take back the state and keep pushing into November. That is the objective.

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