COLUMN: Michigan State in danger of falling further behind rival Wolverines in 2023
Michigan State has enjoyed some dominating stretches over in-state rival Michigan on the football field dating back to the mid-1930s.
The Spartans won four in a row over the Wolverines for the first time in the series' history from 1934-37 under head coach Charlie Bachman, and did it again from 1950-53 under the leadership of Clarence "Biggie" Munn. That four-game stretch to start the 1950s was the beginning of a shift in the rivalry's ownership.
Prior to 1950, Michigan held a 33-6-3 record over MSU in the series. From 1950 through 1967, as Munn passed the torch to the legendary Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans went 13-3-2 against the Wolverines, arguably Michigan State's most dominant stretch over their hated rivals.
As the old saying goes, however, 'All good things must come to an end.'
From 1968 to 2007, Michigan regained control of the series, with a 30-9 record over the Spartans during that four-decade stretch. Michigan State had returned to its status of being a 'thorn in the side' of the Wolverines, popping up to occasionally pull off an upset, but unable to sustain success against its in-state foe.
Then came Mark Dantonio.
After losing his first game against Michigan, Dantonio led the Spartans to eight wins in 10 meetings over the Wolverines from 2008 to 2017. It was Michigan State's most dominating stretch in the rivalry since 1950-67, and there was no debate that the state's best football program resided in East Lansing during that time.
The jury is still out on whether current head coach Mel Tucker will join the likes of Dantonio, Daugherty and Munn — MSU coaches who finished their careers with a winning record against Michigan — or the plethora of others who lost more games than they won in the rivalry.
Tucker got off to a good start, leading the Spartans to an upset victory as a three-touchdown underdog over Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2020. Michigan State followed that up with a 37-33 victory in an instant classic between to the two rivals in 2021, when both teams entered the game sporting Top 10 rankings.
However, Tucker suffered his first loss to the Wolverines a year ago in a lop-sided 29-7 decision at the Big House, and the two programs appear headed in opposite directions.
Following an 11-2 record in 2021, which caught the entire country by surprise, Michigan State disappointingly went 5-7 last season and has struggled to build any sort of momentum heading into the 2023 campaign. The Spartans lost their best player, wide receiver Keon Coleman, to the transfer portal on the final day of April, and will be breaking in a new starting quarterback as well after incumbent Payton Thorne elected to transfer to Auburn.
The Wolverines, meanwhile, are enjoying a resurgence under head coach Jim Harbaugh. After a 16-year drought, Michigan has won back-to-back Big Ten championships and reached the College Football Playoff each of the last two seasons. The Wolverines have used that momentum to put together what is currently the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for 2024. Michigan has 17 players committed to its '24 class thus far.
On the other hand, Michigan State is off to a much slower start on the recruiting trail with only three commits and a class that ranks No. 62 in the country. It's only mid-May, and the Spartans are in on multiple four-star prospects who they'll have on campus this summer, but MSU could use a splash to really get the wheels turning on their 2024 class.
While much can change between now and Oct. 21, the next scheduled meeting between the two rivals, the Wolverines will be heavy favorites when they come to East Lansing this fall.
Michigan is likely going to be a preseason Top 5 team, and while the Wolverines have certainly been a preseason media darling who have fallen short of expectations in the past, U-M has bucked that trend in each of the last two seasons. Michigan State, meanwhile, looks like its headed for a rebuilding year in 2023. Tucker has laid a foundation with the Spartans, but their is a large talent disparity between the two programs right now, and based on the early indications of the 2024 class, that gap is only going to widen this year.
Pointing this out is not intended to cause a 'doom and gloom' reaction from Michigan State's fanbase. It's more about noting the importance that Michigan State show improvement on the field in 2023. Tucker holds a 2-1 record over Harbaugh on the field, but MSU has fallen behind in roster development over the past two seasons and in talent acquisition this year.
With that being said, despite the slow start to the current cycle, Tucker overall has recruited well at Michigan State. During the 2023 cycle, the Wolverines finished with the nation's No. 17 ranked class, while the Spartans were close behind at No. 23. Michigan is also likely to lose a massive amount of 2023 contributors to the NFL Draft next spring. That provides MSU an opportunity to gain some ground again with its own roster.
Sure, this could be another one of those years in which Michigan State sneaks up and pulls off a big upset over its in-state rival. But, Spartan fans don't want this program to devolve back into that 'spoiler' position in this rivalry. They want MSU to go toe-to-toe with U-M year in and year out, and win those games more often than not.
Michigan and Michigan State have split the last eight meetings of this series since Harbaugh was hired in 2015. It's Tucker's job to make sure the Spartans remain an equal and regular victor in this annual series.
