Saturday night in Ann Arbor brings a rivalry game that, at least on paper, doesn’t have the usual electricity. Michigan State and Michigan meet at Michigan Stadium at 7:30 p.m., with the game streaming on Peacock and airing on 94.7 FM and 760 AM, and the four Detroit News writers all see the Wolverines coming out on top.
The biggest storyline around this one is the state of both teams. Michigan is trying to reach the six-win mark and become bowl eligible, while Michigan State is still hunting for its first conference win. The Spartans have been hammered by injuries, and the Wolverines have had their own offensive issues, though they believe the switch to freshman quarterback Tommy Carr has given them a lift.
Angelique S. Chengelis said the matchup hasn’t generated much national buzz, and she pointed out that neither fan base seems especially charged up for it.
She also noted that both head coaches are in their first year with their schools, with Pat Fitzgerald at MSU and Kyle Whittingham at Michigan, and that both know what rivalry football looks like. Even with Michigan State’s underdog status, she expects the Spartans to keep fighting.
Pick: Michigan, 28-17.
Connor Earegood focused on just how thin Michigan State is getting. He wrote that the Spartans are down to their fourth-string running back, possibly their third-string freshman quarterback, and are missing key defensive seniors Jordan Hall and Ben Roberts.
That makes life extremely difficult against a Michigan defense that can squeeze out games, even if the Wolverines’ offense has been shaky enough to leave the door open. He said this could come down to unexpected names becoming the heroes, the way Jalen Watts-Jackson did in 2015, but he also called that hope “pie in the sky” for Fitzgerald’s team.
Pick: Michigan, 28-7.
John Niyo framed it as another awkward rivalry meeting, with Fitzgerald still looking for a signature win in Year 1 and Michigan fans still waiting for a real spark from their head coach. He compared it to a similar first-year coaching matchup in 2024, one Michigan won after Michigan State missed early chances.
Niyo believes the Wolverines can lean on their defense again, especially with the Spartans’ injury list still long despite a bye week. He singled out the loss of Ben Roberts as especially damaging because of what he meant to the run defense.
Still, he added that Michigan’s true freshman quarterback and an offensive line that hasn’t found a rhythm in Jason Beck’s scheme leave room for surprises under the lights. Pick: Michigan, 24-14.
Bob Wojnowski called it perhaps the least compelling rivalry game in years, though he stressed there is still plenty at stake. Fitzgerald is chasing his first Big Ten win at MSU, and Wojnowski said the Spartans have mostly played hard despite the injuries.
But he also said they may be down to their third or fourth quarterbacks and running backs, with the defense also badly depleted. On the Michigan side, he described the Wolverines as a team that seems to nearly win or nearly lose every week, with little margin either way.
He pointed to Whittingham’s 5-3 record and said he can’t afford a loss if he wants to stick around. He also praised Carr’s spark and Michigan’s defense, which he said is third in the nation in yards allowed, while waiting for the offensive line and running game to show more toughness.
Pick: Michigan, 31-13.
In Other News...
Michigan State Is One Win From The Final After Wild Finish
Bella Najera delivered the kind of finish that can define a tournament run, scoring in the 96th minute to lift Michigan State past Washington, 3-2, in a wild Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. The Spartans had to navigate a back-and-forth match that featured multiple swings in momentum before Najera finally put it away, sending Michigan State into the semifinals with plenty of drama still fresh from the quarterfinal stage.
Michigan State now gets the matchup it was hoping to earn, a semifinal date with Michigan and a chance to keep its postseason push alive against a familiar rival. After surviving a tense, high-scoring battle against Washington, the Spartans will carry both confidence and urgency into the next round, knowing one more win would put them within reach of the final. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Izzo Still Sees A Michigan State Problem After Blowout Win
Michigan States 91-61 win over Toledo looked comfortable on the scoreboard, and Tom Izzo had reasons to like what he saw. The Spartans showed off the kind of depth that can carry a team through a long season, and Izzo has been working through roster adjustments as he tries to settle on the right combinations. For a team with bigger goals ahead, it was the sort of game that can reinforce the upside without fully answering every question.
Izzo still came away focused on the details that tend to matter most once the competition gets sharper. Free-throw shooting and turnovers remained issues in his eyes, even in a lopsided victory, and that leaves Michigan State with work to do before Duke arrives on the schedule. A win like this helps the record, but it also serves as a reminder that the Spartans are still chasing cleaner execution. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Enters Rivalry Game With One Huge Problem On Offense
Michigan State heads into the rivalry trip to Ann Arbor carrying more than the usual pressure that comes with this matchup. Both programs have labored through uneven seasons under new head coaches, but Michigan enters with a sturdier defense and a healthier roster, while the Spartans are trying to piece together enough on offense to keep pace in a game that still figures to be tight.
The bigger concern for Michigan State is the state of its quarterback situation, which has been unsettled by injuries and leaves the offense in a difficult spot against a Michigan defense that should control large stretches of the game. Michigans offense has shown some recent improvement, but the Wolverines are still expected to lean on their defense to separate in a rivalry that rarely gives either side much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]