Pressure on Kyle Whittingham: Michigan Loss to Michigan State Could Force Wolverines' Hand

Michigan will host bitter rival Michigan State on Saturday night and the Wolverines have defeated the Spartans in the last four contests, along with the last seven out of 10 times the two teams have played one another.

The Wolverines are big favorites this weekend, but that doesn't mean much when these two teams play one another. Michigan State hasn't been very good since the 2021 season, and the two-win Spartans will likely pull out all the stops in hopes of beating Michigan in Ann Arbor.

This game will feature two new head coaches in the rivalry. Kyle Whittingham comes from Utah, where he was the head coach for 21 seasons, while Pat Fitzgerald has taken control of Michigan State. After coaching Northwestern, Fitzgerald is much more familiar with Michigan-MSU than Whittingham was.

Whittingham can't afford a loss

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham looks on — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Nobody wants to lose this game, but Fitzgerald can afford a loss. Let's be honest, Michigan State is a year or more away from being competitive, but Michigan — the Wolverines can't lose this game to the Spartans in their house. Pressure continues to mount on Whittingham and Co. to show that they are the right coaches to lead this program.

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli gave five teams, or individuals, under the most anxiety this week, and Whittingham was at No. 5.

"While the College Football Playoff is the source of the most anxiety this weekend, it's not the only reason people are nervous. No, Kyle Whittingham probably isn't even thinking about the playoff these days. He's more likely thinking "I wonder if I'm going to get a second year at Michigan. I wonder if I even want one".

"It's been a bad season to be a Wolverine. You're 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play. You aren't ranked anywhere, let alone in the playoff conversation. And even your wins have been rage-inducing.

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"..Michigan State is a mess this season. They're 2-6 on the year and 0-5 in Pat Fitzgerald's first season. The injury report is more of an injury novel. But you know what would make this painful season feel great in East Lansing? A win over Michigan.

"..A loss this weekend means there's a new coach at Michigan next season."

No excuses this weekend

Michigan State's Darius Snow, left, tackles Michigan's Andrew Marsh — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It might be a rivalry game, but even with how poorly Michigan has played on the offensive side of the ball, they are still vastly better than Michigan State. The Wolverines have one of the worst offenses among Power Four teams this season, but guess who's worse? Michigan State.

The Spartans are injury-riddled and had to play their third-string quarterback two weeks ago. It's possible the same thing happens on Saturday night, with starter Alessio Milivojevic listed as questionable heading into the game.

Tommy Carr has a chance to move the ball on this Spartans' defense, which has the No. 13 total defense in the Big Ten. On the flip side, the Spartans' offense is ranked dead last in the conference, and this is a chance for Michigan's defense to wreak havoc.

The Spartans have yet to win a game against a Power Four team, and if Whittingham loses this game, Fornelli is likely right, there is no coming back from that.

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