No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 8 Michigan State picks and best bets for Big Ten battle

The Paul Bunyan Trophy, in-state bragging rights, and perhaps the Big Ten East will be on the line in East Lansing Saturday as the undefeated No. 6 Michigan Wolverines will hit the road to meet the undefeated No. 8 Michigan State Spartans. This rivalry showdown will kick off at noon ET on Fox.

Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) has somewhat quietly built an undefeated resume heading into Halloween weekend but will face their first true challenge of the season when facing their hated in-state rivals here. They managed to sit on Northwestern for a 33-7 victory last Saturday, a game where they held possession for just over 39 minutes of game time.

Michigan State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) has been a surprise team in Big Ten and their quick turnaround this season is what has head coach Mel Tucker’s name in the rumor mill for the LSU job. Transfer running back Kenneth Walker III has emerged as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, entering this rivalry showdown with 997 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry and nine touchdowns in seven games. Sparty has proven so far that they can grind out close wins and also physically dominate opponents.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Michigan: 7th overall, 22nd offense, 8th defense
Michigan State: 21st overall, 53rd offense, 12th defense

Injury update

Michigan

No new injuries to report

Michigan State

LB Itayvion Brown Questionable - Undisclosed

LB Carson Casteel Questionable - Undisclosed

CB Khary Crump Questionable - Undisclosed

WR Ian Stewart Questionable - Undisclosed

WR Ricky White Questionable - Personal

DE Adam Berghorst Questionable - Knee

RB Elijah Collins Questionable - Leg

DE Parks Gissinger Questionable - Undisclosed

DL Drew Beesley Questionable - Lower Body

DE Jack Camper Questionable - Undisclosed

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Michigan: 6-1 ATS
Michigan State: 5-1-1 ATS

Total

Michigan: Over 3-4
Michigan State: Over 3-4

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Michigan: 17th overall, 17th offense, 18th defense
Michigan State: 39th overall, 43rd offense, 34th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Michigan -4
Total: 50
Moneyline: Michigan -190, Michigan +160

Opening line: Michigan -2
Opening total: 52

Weather

52 degrees, 10 MPH winds NNE, 40% chance of rain. Showers in the morning before kickoff.

The Pick

Under 50

Both the Cade McNamara-led Michigan offense and the Kenneth Walker III-led Sparty attack have shown an ability to put up 30+ points when required of them.

But c’mon, this is a Michigan-Michigan State game we’re talking about here. It’s a potential rainy day in East Lansing with temperatures in the low 50’s, so that makes the perfect recipe for ugly, weird football that this rivalry is known for. You take the under on principle here.

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