Michigan Football: 3 reasons to fear an upset by Michigan State

Michigan football fans have plenty of reasons to worry about the Wolverines losing to Michigan State, but here are the three biggest.

As usual, there has been a lot of hype this week leading up the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy Saturday between Michigan football and Michigan State in East Lansing.

Whenever the Wolverines and Spartans get together, it’s always a big game. But after the way Michigan State has dominated this rivalry since 2008, winning eight of 10 games, it means even more to Michigan football.

There are other reasons this game is important too. The Big Ten East race is one reason. The winner of this game, along with Ohio State, will control its own destiny in the division race. If the Spartans win and win the rest of their games, they will win the East title. Same with Michigan. Heck, UM could lose to Penn State and still control its own destiny, as long as it beats State Saturday.

However, that will be easier said than done. There is a reason Michigan State has owned its in-state rivals and the 24th-ranked Spartans, who are fresh off an upset win over Penn State, will not be easy to defeat, especially at Spartan Stadium.

Michigan football is a seven-point favorite for a reason and that’s because it might have the most complete team in the Big Ten. But Michigan State has proven it knows how to win against more talented teams, just look at how the Spartans beat the Wolverines in 2015 and 2017.

In truth, there are a lot of reasons to fear another upset by Michigan State Saturday and as far as the Wolverines are concerned, here are the three biggest.