It's a rivalry matchup on Saturday as the Michigan State Spartans head a few miles southeast to take on the Michigan Wolverines in a battle for Paul Bunyan's Trophy. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 pm start time and it will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Currently the odds for the game have Michigan favored by 9.5 points.
For years, the University of Michigan held a stranglehold over their counterparts from the northwest in Lansing. Former RB Mike Hart even dubbed the Spartans "Little Brother" a few years back as the rivalry has taken on a bit of a new chapter. Now, Michigan State has had the upper hand the past decade. In fact, Michigan State has won four straight in this series. A win today would be the first time ever the Spartans had won five straight over Michigan.
The Wolverines have been playing a lot better to date. It appears that after the bye a few weeks back Michigan has almost turned a corner as far as their season is concerned. They were blown out by Alabama to start the season and lost to a gritty Notre Dame team that saw the Wolverines turn the football over six times. And they still only lost by a touchdown. There's really no secret with Michigan — Denard Robinson is going to have the football in his hands. It's been well documented that he's not the best thrower in the country, but in the last two games in blowout wins over Purdue and Illinois, Robinson has accounted for more than 625 yards of total offense.
Last year, the Spartans were able to corral the Michigan quarterback to just 165 total yards. Michigan State has won its last two games in Ann Arbor by 14 and 17 points, respectively. In their overall four game winning streak over Michigan, MSU has won by an average of 31-18 and gained more than 150 yards offensively. From 2007-10, Michigan went just 16-14 at home under Rich Rodriguez. New head coach Brady Hoke has instilled that winning games at home is critical, going a combined 11-0 in the Big House since taking over.
Michigan holds an 89-13 scoring margin in their last two games and gained nearly 1,000 yards of total offense. It's been the Wolverine defense that has made the biggest impact so far this season. The rush defense has been excellent, allowing just 2.8 yards per attempt in the last four games. They are also holding opponents to just 17.5 points per game, which is good for 21st nationally.
Michigan State had dreams of a Rose Bowl berth this season, but unless they win out, they're not going. Sparty is just 1-2 in conference play and lost last week at home in double overtime to Iowa. Andrew Maxwell has had a tough time replacing Spartans legend Kirk Cousins and offensively, the Spartans have a tough time. Le'Veon Bell is an animal at the running back position and he's their key to success today.
This is the biggest game on Michigan's schedule right now, excluding the finale against the Buckeyes. Michigan has been punked four years in a row and every kid on that team wants to win this one today.
Last week's blowout win over Illinois inflated the line in this game, and Michigan State is going to keep it close throughout. It's nasty in Ann Arbor with rains and horrible weather conditions overall. That should help Michigan State stay in this game at least from a logistical standpoint. They'll also work on running the clock and keeping the ball away from Robinson. We're expecting a close rivalry game.
Free Pick: Michigan 24, Michigan State 17
College Football Free Picks: Michigan State at Michigan Betting
What college football bettors need to know about Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines on Saturday (10/20/12) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo with Bryan Leonard and host Scott Spreitzer.
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