Michigan Expected To Win BIG Against Michigan State

Jim Harbaugh might've said that you can throw the records out this weekend as his Wolverines host Michigan State, but Vegas doesn't see it that way.

Michigan always seems to get Michigan State's best shot. In 2020, the Wolverines were favored by three touchdowns and lost. Yes, that was the weird COVID year, but it was the weird COVID year for MSU as well. Last year, Michigan was again favored, even though the Spartans were undefeated and hosting the maize and blue in East Lansing. Michigan had the lead late, but let it slip away. Now, the Wolverines are once again favored, by a lot. Only this year, no one is giving Michigan State much of a chance at all. Is that dangerous?

Mel Tucker is 2-0 against Jim Harbaugh and everyone on the planet knows it. It never should've played out that way, but here we are. Now, Harbaugh and Co. are 22.5-point favorites over a somewhat hapless, 3-4 group of Spartans. That number seems appropriate and everyone with an opinion seems to agree with it.

"This is obviously a juicy rivalry but it's not as juicy when the spread is 22.5," college football analyst Joel Klatt recently said. "I can tell you this right now — Michigan is beating Michigan State on Saturday. Kenneth Walker ain't there anymore and he's not walking through those doors. Without him, Michigan State doesn't have an identity.

"The offense is not very good; the defense is still not very good and they're a shell of what they were a year ago."

Everyone with a platform seems to be saying the same thing as Klatt. Our own Chris Breiler outlined the numbers for both programs through seven games and they aren't close.

Total Defense

• Michigan: No. 4
• Michigan State: No. 103

Passing Defense

• Michigan: No. 9
• Michigan State: No. 107

Rushing Defense

• Michigan: No. 6
• Michigan State: No. 80

Total Offense

• Michigan: No. 22
• Michigan State: No. 103

Passing Offense

• Michigan: No. 76
• Michigan State: No. 66

Rushing Offense

• Michigan: No. 9
• Michigan State: No. 116

Chris then finished off his article with this:

Although the numbers certainly lean heavily in Michigan's favor, the reality is that the Spartans have every intention of playing spoiler to the Wolverines championship hopes - and they have a track record of doing just that. In his first season as head coach of the Spartans, Mel Tucker walked into the Big House as a 21.5 point underdog and left with the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The following season, Tucker and the Spartans played the underdog role once again - and once again they knocked off the Wolverines. 

He's right and normally there is some worry when the Spartans are on the other sideline, but this year, the worry is just not there. Some Michigan fans might still be concerned about the Spartans, and I wouldn't call them crazy, but I just do not see it this year. Not in 2022 and not in The Big House.