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

Michigan has struggled away from home in 2018

If this game was being played at the Big House, it would be much easier for Michigan football fans to feel good about it. Yes, the Spartans have won four of their last five games in Ann Arbor, but the bottom line is that Michigan, like most teams, plays better at home.

That has been especially true for the Wolverines this season. Michigan has played two road games so far, at Notre Dame and at Northwestern. In both outings, the Wolverines found themselves down by 17 or more in the first half. The Irish built a 21-3 lead on UM and Northwestern managed to build a 17-0 advantage, before the Wolverines rallied to win 20-17.

Still, that has to be worrisome for Michigan football fans. Michigan State isn’t a juggernaut and it has one loss at home already to Northwestern, but winning in East Lansing is not going to be easy.

Compound that with the fact that Michigan hasn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2006 and the task of doing it Saturday, against an arch rival seems even that much tougher.