The game of the week in college football features the no. 6 Michigan Wolverines taking on the no. 8 Michigan State Spartans. It was 1964, the last time these two teams met when both were ranked in the top 10.
This time around, the Wolverines are four-point favorites on the road, with the over/under set at 50.5 points.
Michigan State might be the most surprising team that’s still undefeated this late in the season. The Spartans haven’t exactly racked up a lot of blowout wins this year on their way to being 7-0. However, road wins over Northwestern, Miami, and Indiana are no easy feat, nor was a tight home win over Nebraska.
It’s also a little surprising to see the Wolverines undefeated this late in the season after an abysmal 2020 season. However, Jim Harbaugh’s team has managed to eke out close wins over Rutgers and Nebraska while beating the likes of Western Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin more convincingly.
This has created a situation in which the winner of this game will be in pole position to win the Big Ten East Division.
Nothing Fancy
Michigan has simplified its offense this season, deciding to run the ball as much as possible. The Wolverines are fifth nationally in rushing at 253.3 yards per game behind the tandem of Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Cade McNamara can win a game on his own if asked, as he has just five touchdown passes in seven games despite being a reliable game manager.
The Michigan defense is also a big reason why the Wolverines haven’t asked their quarterback to do too much. The Wolverines are second behind only Georgia in scoring defense nationally, giving up 14.3 points per game.
Outside of their win over Nebraska, Michigan has dominated at the line of scrimmage and stuffed the run as well as any team in the country.
Leader of the Pack
Not to be outdone, Michigan State has one of the nation’s leading rushers in Kenneth Walker, who is just three yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for the season after just seven games.
The Wake Forest transfer is able to get the tough yards between the tackles but is also a home run threat who averages 6.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, quarterback Payton Thorne has been steady all season and has two receivers in Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor, who can make plays down the field when teams focus too much on stopping Walker.
Much like their in-state brethren, the Spartans have played excellent defense all season. Only Western Kentucky has managed more than 21 points against Michigan State, with the Spartans allowing just 18.7 points per game.
They have been stingy against the run while also racking up 26 sacks in seven games from several capable pass rushers.
Mirror Image
These two teams have a lot in common, which will likely lead to a close, low-scoring game. Michigan probably has a little more talent from top to bottom, although they aren’t necessarily better at the quarterback position.
That could make it tough for the Wolverines to win comfortably, giving more value to taking Michigan State as home underdogs.
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