Michigan Football: 3 things to watch against Michigan State

Michigan football beat 15th-ranked Wisconsin in impressive fashion last week, but what will it take for the Wolverines to beat Michigan State?

Last week against Wisconsin, the Michigan football team proved that it could win a big game. Now, the Wolverines have to prove that they can do the same thing, on the road, against Michigan State.

While Wisconsin may be a better overall team than Michigan State, the challenge is probably greater this week for Michigan football. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has beaten a few ranked opponents, but he hasn’t beaten one on the road.

So that’s a challenge for the Wolverines this week. Michigan will come into the matchup as a seven-point favorite, which is a few points lower than the edge experts gave UM against Wisconsin.

The win last week didn’t seem inevitable, it just seemed like Michigan was due and nothing was going to get in their way. However, if the Wolverines truly want to contend for a Big Ten championship this season, Michigan State is the game they have to win.

A loss in East Lansing and Michigan no longer controls its destiny within the division. UM would need to run the table and have the Spartans drop their game to Ohio State, while also having the Buckeyes win their other games.

Of all the games on the schedule, this might be the one the Wolverines need to win most. Beating Ohio State might not be in the cards just yet, but UM is good enough to win Saturday and here are a few things to watch as we prep for the Wolverines and Spartans.