10/31/2020 football Edit

Football Gameday Central: MSU Spartans Vs. The Michigan Wolverines

Austin Fox • Maize&BlueReview

Staff Writer

The Michigan Wolverines' football team will square off with Michigan State this afternoon at The Big House, and we have all the pregame information you'll need below to prepare you for the showdown.

U-M has dominated the rivalry throughout the two programs' history, holding a 71-36-5 edge in the all-time series. Michigan and Michigan State first met in 1898 when the Spartans were still known as Michigan Agricultural College, with the Wolverines winning six of the first seven meetings. The lone exception during that span was a 0-0 tie in 1908.

The Maize and Blue were particularly dominant from 1969-2007, when Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr went a combined 30-9 against the Green and White.

Michigan Wolverines football vs. MSU — The Michigan Wolverines' football team beat MSU last year, 44-10, in Ann Arbor. (AP Images)

MSU then enjoyed a successful streak of its own from 2008-15, winning seven of the eight meetings. U-M's lone triumph during that stretch occurred in 2012 at The Big House when kicker Brendan Gibbons nailed a 38-yard field goal to give the Wolverines a come-from-behind win.

Jim Harbaugh has restored order to the rivalry in recent years though, with his club coming out on top in three of the last four matchups. Last year's victory in Ann Arbor was especially sweet for Maize and Blue fans, with U-M grabbing a dominant 44-10 win. The triumph marked Michigan's largest margin of victory in the series since a 49-3 beatdown in 2002.

A win today would be the third straight for the Wolverines in the series, something it has not accomplished since Carr's final three matchups from 2005-07.

The Wolverines are heavy favorites after their 49-24 blowout win at Minnesota last week, coupled with Michigan State's embarrassing home loss to Rutgers (in which it turned the ball over seven times).

Today's rivalry showdown will be the first for MSU head coach Mel Tucker, with only one Spartan head man having beaten Michigan in his debut season in school history — Nick Saban in 1995.

Michigan State at Michigan Game Information

Kickoff: 12:05 PM ET

TV: FOX

On the Call: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (color) and Jenny Taft (sideline) will call the game.

Radio: Jim Brandstatter (play-by-play), Dan Dierdorf (color) and Doug Karsch (sideline) will call the action on the Learfield IMG College Michigan Football Radio Network. Anchored by WWJ-AM (950) in Detroit, the Michigan Radio Network is comprised of 38 affiliate stations in Michigan and Ohio during football season.

Series Facts: This will be the 113th meeting between Michigan and Michigan State. The Wolverines hold a 71-36-5 advantage in the all-time series and have won 26 of the last 41 games played between the two schools. U-M has won the last two match-ups between the two schools, a 44-10 affair in Ann Arbor (2019) and a 21-7 victory in East Lansing (2018). The Wolverines have compiled a 35-20-3 record against the Spartans at Michigan Stadium, including victories in 12 of the last 17 games played between the in-state rivals.

Overall, Michigan has a 50-22-3 mark against Michigan State in Ann Arbor. Today’s game will be the 68th meeting for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. Since the battle for the trophy began in 1953 with Michigan State’s inception into the Big Ten, Michigan holds a 38-27-2 advantage in the series and quest for the coveted trophy. Michigan has won 34 of the past 50 games (68%) played between the two rivals since 1970.

Line: Michigan is a 23.5-point favorite at most sportsbooks, per VegasInsider. Most of the outlets have the over/under set at 52.

Weather Forecast for Kickoff: Michigan State at Michigan

The weather is supposed to be perfect for today's game, with a projected temperature of 41 degrees and nothing but sunny skies at kickoff. Chances of precipitation are at zero percent throughout the duration of the game, and wind gusts aren't expected to reach higher than 12 miles-per-hour.

The highest projected temperature for the day is 47 degrees at 3 PM, which should make for a perfect fall football afternoon.