2018 Michigan gameday #8: at Michigan State

What can I tell you that you haven't already heard?  It's #6 Michigan, with six straight wins after the opening loss to Notre Dame, headed up to East Lansing to face another rival, the 4-2 Spartans, ranked #24 despite a 4-2 record thanks to a fluky win at Penn State last Saturday.  It's a trophy game, there's stakes, and the animosity is high.  It's also a series dominated by Michigan (69-36-5) despite what those who pull for Michigan State will tell you as they put on their blinders and limit their world view to the last decade.

Indeed, MSU has won eight of the last ten, a period of success matched only by the 1950s and 60s, when the Spartans took advantage of a dormant program in Ann Arbor to go 14-4-2.  Then Bo came on the scene and things got back to normal; from his first year coaching the Wolverines through the last year of Lloyd Carr Michigan went 30-8.  The RichRod and Hoke years weren't as kind to the Maize and Blue with Michigan State once again on the rise.

But, as today's MGoBlog Punt/Counterpunt feature will remind you, this is a simple rivalry where, aside from a few flukes (a bad snap, a cheating clock operator, refs ignoring blatant pass interference, etc.), the better team wins.  So let's let it come down to that.

There were moments in last week's huge victory against Wisconsin that the game looked like it was up for grabs.  Michigan left some points on the board thanks to missed opportunities, and led by just six at halftime.  But the defense held, limiting the Badgers to a garbage time TD late after the coaching staff inexplicably packed it in early.  The dominance of a team with a quality offensive line was a great sign for Jim Harbaugh's guys and that continues the roll they've been on since getting knocked down in week 1.

Meanwhile, State has plenty of question marks on offense besides a pretty good QB and one excellent WR, plus a defense that can handle runs and not much else.  This is a team Wolverines fans love to beat because of conference championship goals and bragging rights, not to mention shoving it in the face of perpetually grumpy hypocrite coach Mark Dantonio, who owns a dictionary with the word "consequences" crossed out.  But as with Maryland, even though it can't erase the shameful results of a toxic environment, there's some feeling of satisfaction a win can bring.  It's frustrating that the corrupt, tone-deaf administration in East Lansing is allowed to continue to operate, but at least defeating its sports teams can deal a blow to the ignorant apologists.

That's a lot to say for one simple message:  just win.  There will be no getting "outcoached", no excuse that one team was "unprepared" or "unmotivated".  The better team will win today, and I hope that results in my Wolverines bringing Paul Bunyan back to Ann Arbor where he belongs.

LET'S GO BLUE