Michigan State vs. No. 4 Michigan picks and best bets for Week 9 Big Ten matchup

The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 B1G) welcome their in-state rival to Ann Arbor this weekend when the Michigan State Spartans (3-4, 1-3 B1G) head east to Michigan Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Just one year after the Spartans handed Michigan their only regular season loss and showed a massive resurgence under Mel Tucker, they’ve fallen off immensely. Losing Kenneth Walker in the running game didn’t help. Jalen Berger has been an adequate replacement, with 367 yards and five scores, but it would’ve been insane to expect Walker’s level of production from him. Their offense ranks 77th in the nation and the D is 74th. Not a bad team, but not a good one either.

Michigan has been elite in 2022 so far. J.J. McCarthy taking over at QB has been a revelation, tossing for close to 1300 yards and nine scores while adding another 147 yards and a score on the ground. The real star of the show for the Wolverines is RB Blake Corum, who’s got 901 yards rushing and 13 scores while averaging over 6 yards per carry.

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

SP+ Rankings

Michigan State: 56 overall, 46 offense, 54 defense
Michigan: 4 overall, 8 offense, 8 defense

Injury update

Michigan State

S Jaden Mangham- Questionable (head)

Michigan

TE Erick All- Out for season (undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Michigan State: 3-4 ATS
Michigan: 4-3 ATS

Total

Michigan State: Over 3-4
Michiagn: Over 1-5-1

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Michigan State: 27 overall, 52 offense, 31 defense
Michigan: 65 overall, 12 offense, 117 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Michigan -23
Total: 55
Moneyline: Michigan -2100, Michigan State +1100

Opening line: Michigan -20.5
Opening total: 54.5

Weather

52 degrees, 4MPH wind, 1% chance of rain.

The Pick

Michigan State +23

Look, Michigan is going to win this one with relative ease. But it’s still a rivalry game so the Spartans aren’t just going to roll over. Plus, the Wolverines aren’t particularly convincing against the spread this season and this is a massive spread.

Michigan wins by 17-20, not 23+

3+ sentences explaining pick goes here!