Staff Predictions: Michigan at Michigan State
Saturday should be the moment Michigan fans have been anticipating and Michigan State fans dreading for a handful of years now … a return to normalcy.
But in life, nothing is guaranteed … except for death. And Saturday could be the final nail in the Spartans’ 2016 coffin and end one of the more nightmarish stretches for Michigan fans in the program’s existence (at least while they’ve been alive), along with MSU’s fairy tale.
Michigan State, now a 24.5-point underdog, is so desperate this week that Michigan State volleyball coach Mike D’Antoni will take the reins this week (in a classic sign of disrespect, even the local TV station spelled his name incorrectly as “Mark Dantonio”), and there are rumblings that freshman Donnie “Is it too late to rescind my commitment?” Corley will play some cornerback Saturday … and we all remember how well that worked for Michigan receiver David Terrell in East Lansing back in 1999.
Michigan fans are so confident in a victory, in fact, that they’re gobbling up tickets on the secondary market faster than MSU fans can be heard yelling “wait ‘til women's basketball season!” And there are still plenty to be had, for those looking for something to do at noon Saturday.
The good news for Michigan State fans … tickets for the Nov. 12 showdown with Rutgers are available for $7 – unlike recent promotions, you don’t have to buy one Subway sandwich at $7 first to receive the discount on a product of equal or lesser (in this case way less) value - and there likely won’t be anybody in maize and blue in the stadium that day.
Put in perspective, that’s $1 less than the price of a Michigan volleyball ticket, parking at MSU’s Breslin Center for a (women’s) basketball game and a Coors Lite 9-pack (screw tops).
This is all in good fun, of course. It wasn’t long ago that Michigan was giving away tickets with the purchase of a two-liter of Coke, so it would be wise for U-M fans to remember the whole “Pride Comes Before the Fall” comments spewed by D’Antonio shortly after he made fun of a Michigan player’s height following his first loss to U-M, and act accordingly.
Of course, Mike probably should have followed that advice, too, before having the poster below printed, his own take on Bo Schembechler’s ‘Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.”
His, however, is clearly a nod to the past more than it is the future.
As for where all the Wolverines went after last year's fluke …
They’ll be there Saturday. We expect the Spartans will show up, too, and will bring their best.
If it’s good enough … well, then the football gods really do hate Michigan. Last year’s parting gift, a Blake O’Neill fumbled snap returned for MSU’s game-winning touchdown, really should have been enough.
Congratulations to last week’s winner. This week’s receives … nothing. As a Michigan guy, this is a week you’re expected to win and go about your business.
The picks:
Chris Balas: The Spartans will come to play, but the intangibles are with Michigan this time around. And the man in charge on the Michigan sideline isn’t into playing conservatively … nor is his first name Rich or Brady. Michigan 34, Michigan State 13
John Borton: Even Spartans who aren’t on the field don’t want any part of this game. They’re bailing, selling or giving away tickets, seeing their swagger ripped away over the past few weeks like Denard Robinson’s helmet in a rage-fueled pile of humanity.
Can anything happen in this one? Sure. But anything and everything HAS happened to Mark Dantonio’s crew lately, and not much of it has been good. Don’t bet on mercy from the southeast. Michigan 41, Michigan State 9
Brandon Brown: Michigan is good at football and Michigan State is not. Michigan has dominated opponents and Michigan State has lost five games to mediocre teams. After seven games teams are what they are and I don’t think anything is going to change. Michigan should be able to enact some intense revenge in East Lansing on Saturday. Michigan 42, Michigan State 10
Doug Skene: This will not be a walk in the park for Michigan. Michigan 35, Michigan State 14
Leland "The Intern" Mitchinson: Michigan gets revenge for last year and beats MSU handily. Michigan 45, Michigan State 10