The 116th battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy will take place next Saturday as the Michigan Wolverines head to Spartan Stadium in East Lansing to battle the Michigan State Spartans. This in-state rivalry tilt will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. This is the 116th meeting between the schools with Michigan holding a 72-38-5 lead in the series. The Wolverines won 29-7 last year, but the Spartans have won six of the past 10.
Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) battled through rainy and windy conditions to pummel Indiana at home. The Wolverines got off to a somewhat sluggish start in the first quarter before dropping 21 points on the Hoosiers in the second and never looked back. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy had another efficient day through the air while running back Blake Corum broke off two touchdowns on the ground.
Michigan State (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) blew an 18-point lead in a 27-24 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Spartans gave up 21 points in the fourth-quarter to lose their fourth straight. Quarterback Katin Houser threw two touchdowns passes and rushed for another to help Sparty get the big lead. Dating back to last season, Michigan State has lost five straight conference games.
While the odds below aren’t official and do not come from DraftKings Sportsbook, they’re our best guess here at DK Network as to where the line should open across the market.
Michigan vs. Michigan State projected odds
Spread: Michigan -20.5
Total: TBA