Roundtable predictions for Michigan Football vs Michigan State

The staff of GBMWolverine.com make their prognostications heard on how Michigan football’s home opener will play out on Saturday afternoon.

The Michigan football team is set to renew its rivalry with Michigan State Saturday in the annual battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

And with a look ahead to Saturday, here are our staff predictions for Michigan football and Michigan State:

Adam Childs: Michigan 45 , Michigan State 17

Rivalry games can be funny and it is why the Wolverines need to make sure they aren’t looking ahead or getting to high from their impressive win over the Gophers. Michigan State for all its flaws will be ready to play and if Michigan football takes them too lightly, they could pull off the upset. In their loss to Rutgers, they outgained the Scarlet Knights and the defense wasn’t horrible. But let’s not confuse Rutgers’ offense for being on the same level as Michigan’s.

Joe Milton looked great against Minnesota and if he can control the offense the same way on Saturday the Wolverines should be in great shape. The defense needs to take advantage of a Spartans offense that will have the thought of turnovers in the back of their head.

If the Wolverines can get ahead early and not let the Spartans hang around this could be a blowout. But we have all seen worse Michigan State teams give Michigan a game. This won’t happen here. The Spartans may play it close early but this Michigan offense just seems different and it will show on Saturday. The Wolverines need to do more than just show up and that is exactly what they will do.

Chris Peterson: Michigan 45, Michigan State 17

Michigan owns such a clear talent gap over Michigan State but I have a feeling it will be close for a while, before the Wolverines pull away in the second half. Joe Milton will have another strong performance and the running game dominates, as does the defense.

Jared Dettmer: Michigan 52  Michigan State 14

It’s no secret that Michigan State lost to Rutgers last week. If we are being honest the final score of 38-27 makes that game seem much closer than it truly was. I know Michigan State will not turn the ball over seven times again this week but after examining all the angles of this rivalry game, I just can’t envision a scenario where Michigan plays a close one here. The Wolverines held a much better offense in Minnesota to 24 points and should keep the Spartans under 20 with ease.

The Spartan defense actually might be better than the Gophers’ but I expect Michigan to open up the playbook more than it did in Week 1 and allow Joe Milton to let his arm loose against a suspect MSU secondary. I believe Harbaugh will push to set a tone in this rivalry’s next chapter as Mel Tucker takes over for Mark Dantonio and Michigan will keep Paul Bunyan home.

Nick Popio: Michigan 48 , Michigan State 16

This ought to be a similar outing to last year’s blowout victory in the Big House. The Wolverines are in a much better place then the Spartans currently are after falling short at home a week ago to Rutgers. Michigan State will likely keep things interesting for a short period of time, but Michigan will ultimately overpower them with everything that they have in their arsenal.

Ryan Kraus: Michigan 49, Michigan State 14

The Michigan Wolverines are looking to extend their winning streak against in state rival Michigan State to three. Joe Milton had an impressive debut as a starter and that should continue on Saturday. The offense will use their plethora of weapons to make it hard for Michigan State to defend. Michigan has the clear talent advantage in this matchup and that will show on the field.