The Michigan State Spartans will take on their rivals the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon in an enormous Big Ten East matchup. Michigan State (6-0 (2-0)) comes in ranked seventh in the nation while Michigan (5-1 (2-0)) comes in ranked 12th in the nation.
Michigan State comes into this game undefeated and the higher ranked team but Michigan is the team everyone is talking about and a huge favorite and it's for good reason too. Michigan lost their first game of the season under new head coach Jim Harbaugh but they have rattled off five straight wins and look like real threats not only in the Big Ten but also nationally.
Michigan has done it with defense all year and especially lately as they have shutout their last three opponents including a 38-0 laugher last week over Northwestern who was ranked 13th in the nation at the time.
Michigan is ranked second in the nation in total defense through six games and they are near the top of almost every defensive category. The Wolverines lost Mario Ojemudia to a season ending injury prior to last weeks game against the Wildcats but they suffered no ill effects at least for that game.
In scoring 38 points against Northwestern they didn't do anything too spectacular on offense as quarterback Jake Rudock threw for 179 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Rudock though was one of three Michigan players to run for a touchdown and the team as a whole ran the ball with nine different players for 201 yards. The Wolverines also added a kick return touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown.
Michigan State, on the other hand, is going in the opposite direction from the Wolverines despite having an untarnished record. The Spartans were ranked as high as number two in the nation this year and had an impressive win over Oregon, but two straight unimpressive wins over Purdue and Rutgers has moved them down to seventh.
Under Mark Dantonio defense has always been Michigan State's calling card but this year their defense has struggled as they have allowed more than 21 points per game to middling opponents aside from the Ducks.
The Spartans offense is led by one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Connor Cook who has an average completion percentage (60 percent) but his touchdown to interception ratio (12:2) is incredible. Cook's favorite target is 6 foot-1 senior wide receiver Aaron Burbridge who leads the team in catches (34) receiving yards (560) and is tied for the team lead with four touchdowns.
Running back L.J. Scott is off to a nice start to the season too as he is averaging six yards per carry, has more than 400 yards rushing and six touchdowns through six games. The Spartans have yet to face a defense like Michigan's so they will have their work cut out for them and they will have to hope their defense can step up and not allow the Wolverines mediocre offense to go off or they will have no shot.
Michigan State has dominated this rivalry in recent years including a 35-11 win just last year but Harbaugh has turned Michigan into a very scary opponent. This is a huge game for the standings in the Big Ten East and for the National Championship picture. Despite their loss Michigan is still right in the mix and so is Michigan State.
There are four undefeated teams in the Big Ten East and they will all face off against each other this week as Ohio State takes on Penn State as well, so the winner of this game will be in solid shape while the loser will take a major step back.
The game kicks off at 3:30 P.M. Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the Michigan radio broadcast go here and for the Michigan State radio broadcast go here.
