Kyle Whittingham didn’t exactly calm nerves after Michigan’s narrow escape against Rutgers on Saturday. In his postgame radio comments, the Michigan coach said he was “very interested” in being part of the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry and added, “It’s not the biggest one, but it’s a big one.”
That line landed with the kind of awkward thud that tends to follow Whittingham around when he talks about rivalry games. It wasn’t as clumsy as Jonathan Smith’s old “I really want to win that thing” and “sucker” comments about the Michigan State-Michigan matchup, but it had the same feel: a coach trying to sound measured and instead stepping right into a fanbase sore spot.
Whittingham has already given Michigan supporters a couple of reasons to bristle. At Big Ten Media Days, he said he wouldn’t use the word “hate” when talking about Ohio State, a remark that set off plenty of noise early. He also said he would welcome his good friend Urban Meyer, one of the most disliked figures in Ann Arbor, if Meyer wanted to visit the program.
So when Whittingham called the rivalry “not the biggest one” while saying he was “very interested” in it, it read like another accidental jab at Michigan State, even if that wasn’t the intent.
For Michigan fans, though, the bigger issue is the season itself. The Whittingham era has started with a thud, and patience is running thin.
A 2-6 start would be hard for Wolverines fans to stomach, especially after being spoiled by a national title a few years ago. Even now, a 5-3 record feels shaky enough to draw heat, and some fans were already posting “leave Whitt and Beck” on the tarmac during the Rutgers game as Michigan needed the full 60 minutes to finally put the Scarlet Knights away.
The near-loss to Western Michigan already felt like a warning sign. Saturday may have made it feel like something worse.
In Other News...
Michigan State Gets Another Rivalry Night Test Fans Dread
Michigan States next shot at Michigan comes with the kind of late kickoff that has become its own subplot in this rivalry. The Wolverines and Spartans are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET night game next weekend in Ann Arbor, and this one will stream on Peacock instead of airing on NBC, adding another layer to a matchup that already tends to draw plenty of attention from both fan bases.
The setting only sharpens the stakes for a series that has long tilted toward Michigan, which owns the historical edge and has won the last four meetings, all under the lights. With both programs now working under new coaches, the rivalry is entering another reset point, and for Spartans fans, the timing and the venue make this one feel like a familiar test with a fresh wrinkle. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Gets A Chance To Rewrite A Painful Big Ten Ending
Michigan State will get an immediate shot at turning the page on a frustrating Big Ten finish after the conference released the bracket and schedule for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans landed the No. 4 seed in the new eight-team field and open in the quarterfinals against No. 5 seed Washington, with the tournament beginning Wednesday at Energizer Park in St. Louis.
The format adds a fresh wrinkle to the race, since the title game is set for Nov. 13 at the home site of the highest remaining seed. For Michigan State, that means the path back to the leagues biggest stage starts with a familiar kind of pressure, one that offers a chance to rewrite how this Big Ten ending looks if the Spartans can handle their opening test. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State's Record Looks Ugly But This Rivalry Game Still Matters
Michigan States season has been rough on the standings sheet, but the bigger picture has been a little more complicated. A winless conference record and a long list of injuries to key players have made the results look bleak, yet the Spartans have still shown signs of progress in close games as they work through a year defined by a new head coach and a wave of roster turnover.
Now comes Michigan, and for all the frustration that has built up, this is still the kind of conference game that can reset some of the conversation around the program. Rivalry games tend to cut through the noise, and for Michigan State, the matchup offers a chance to measure how far the team has come amid the losses, the transfers and the constant reshuffling that has shaped the season. [Read more 🡒]