Rivalry week holds a different meaning for Michigan this weekend as the season is very much on the ropes with Michigan State heading into the weekend preparing for a night contest against the Wolverines.
Below, the M&BR staff predict Saturday's game against the Spartans.
Josh Henschke
Somehow, someway, you find a way. I think that’s going to be the case here on Saturday for the Wolverines. If you look at the stats, the Wolverines are slightly better than the Spartans and the defense should do enough to disrupt MSU’s offense. The question is, can the offense do enough to win this game? Possibly. There’s no denying this game will set the game of football back a decade in an ugly game.
Michigan 17, Michigan State 14
Dennis Fithian
Having a sub par year after a natty is one thing.
Losing to State would be another thing all together.
MSU is 4-0 when allowing less than 150 on the ground and 0-3 when giving up more than that this year. You probably know that over the last 55 years the team that runs the ball better wins nearly 90% of the time. That's got to be the path to victory for the home team.
UM 19, MSU 16
Trevor McCue
If you had told me this game would be a matchup between two unranked 4-3 teams at the start of the season, I wouldn't have believed you. I am equally shocked by how quickly Jonathan Smith's staff has improved Michigan State as I am by the issues happening for Michigan in year 1 under Sherrone Moore.
That said, Michigan should win this game. More importantly, they have to. A loss here is just inexcusable. I have long said I thought Harbaugh's loss to MSU in 2020 was the worst of his career. Don't come at me with the COVID excuses, either. It was a bizarre year for everyone, but Michigan was a 24-point favorite because they should have been. That win gave Mel Tucker the fuel he needed in that offseason. Kenneth Walker isn't in East Lansing, and MSU doesn't win in 2021 without the win in 2020 first.
You can't give Smith that same fuel. This won't be complicated. Michigan has to win the turnover battle. The defense should be able to create enough pressure against the Spartan offensive line to force Chiles into making some mistakes. He and Nick Marsh will likely do some damage, but turnovers should happen. On offense, feed Mullings and Edwards, do the bare minimum in the passing game, and don't turn it over. The players show up for this rivalry game. They better.
Michigan 24 Michigan State 13
Brock Heilig
For Michigan, goals of a fourth consecutive Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance are out the window — Colston Loveland said as much after the Illinois loss. The All-American tight end also admitted that Michigan’s task for the rest of 2024 is to “start wrecking people’s seasons.” That’s a good line following a 21-7 loss, but just how motivated will a team full of proven winners be to wreck other teams’ seasons? Michigan has already lost as many games this year as it had in the previous three seasons combined. This type of dysfunction is foreign to just about everyone in the program, and it’s apparent in the way they’re struggling to handle it. At times, Michigan looks disinterested — like it’s going through the motions. Things are unraveling, and this year’s team can’t be trusted to get up for this rivalry game, which is pathetic. Plus, it can hardly complete a forward pass. Michigan’s best hope of winning this game is to put Alex Orji at quarterback and run the ball 60-65 times. Will the Wolverines utilize that game plan? No.
Michigan 13, Michigan State 23
Seth Berry
Michigan is coming off an absolutely brutal loss to Illinois in a season that has turned sour. The Wolverines put up just 7 points against the Illini, their worst offensive output in 10 years. This team needs a win in the worst of ways, and can certainly get some positive vibes back with a win over its rival and retaining Paul Bunyan. The issue is, the Spartans come in as a team who is much improved under new head coach Jonathan Smith, and are coming off a near complete performance last week against Iowa. The thought that this would even be a close game before the season started was once unfathomable, and now that the week is upon us, there is a legitimate chance MSU comes into Ann Arbor and gets a win just one year after losing 49-0. I think MSU gets the job done in a close game, and puts Michigan in a dark place and wondering whether it will even make a bowl game.
MSU 24, UM 21
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
