EAST LANSING, Mich — The famous Paul Bunyan Trophy is up for grabs on Saturday as the Michigan State Spartans host the Michigan Wolverines in East Lansing.
The Wolverines have dominated the rivalry series against the Spartans, dating back to 1898. U of M leads the series with 72 wins, while the Spartans have only come out ahead 38 times. The game has resulted in a tie five times, with the most recent tie in 1963.
And while the rivalry has been in Michigan's favor all-time, the Spartans have virtually split wins with the Wolverines since 2000.
The record between the two teams since 2000 is led by Michigan with 12 wins, but the Spartans have recorded 11 themselves over the last 21 meet-ups.
Upsets Are The Name Of The Game
Even though it is unlikely that the Spartans pull off a win against the seemingly unbeatable Wolverines, it wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility for Michigan State to pull off an upset.
One of the most interesting stats over the last 21 years is that the lower-ranked team has won the matchup almost half the time.
The Spartans have taken down the higher-ranked Wolverines on seven occasions since 2000, while the Wolverines have defeated the higher-ranked Spartans two times. Some of these games weren't considered upsets, however. Sometimes teams would be favored despite being the lower-ranked team due to other factors like the game's location.
But, when you look at the rankings prior to the rivalry game, you'll see that it is far from rare that the the lower-ranked team takes the victory. Below, you can see a list of the games when the lower-ranked team won:
Michigan State Lower-Ranked Win Years Since 2000
- 2001 - The unranked Spartans defeated the No. 6 Wolverines 26-24 in East Lansing
- 2009 - The unranked Spartans defeated the No. 22 Wolverines in overtime 26-20 in East Lansing
- 2011 - The No. 23 Spartans defeated the No. 11 Wolverines 28-14 in East Lansing
- 2013 - The No. 24 Spartans defeated the No. 23 Wolverines 29-6 in East Lansing
- 2017 - The unranked Spartans defeated the No. 7 Wolverines 14-10 in Ann Arbor
- 2020 - The unranked Spartans defeated the No. 13 Wolverines 27-24 in Ann Arbor
- 2021 - The No. 8 Spartans defeated the No. 6 Wolverines 37-33 in East Lansing
Michigan Lower-Ranked Win Years Since 2000
- 2003 - The No. 11 Wolverines defeated the No. 9 Spartans 27-20 in East Lansing
- 2005 - The unranked Wolverines defeated the No. 11 Spartans in overtime 34-31 in East Lansing
It is interesting to note that seven of the nine games where the lower-ranked team won took place in Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, including two games where the Wolverines upset the Spartans.
Will Michigan Return To Dominance?
There is no arguing that Michigan State has turned the rivalry on its head in recent years, winning 10 of its last 15 games against Michigan. But that momentum is looking like it will turn back in Michigan's favor with Michigan State firing head coach Mel Tucker after he allegedly sexual harassed a rape survivor.
The Spartans are coming off of a loss in Ann Arbor last year and have struggled so far this season, winning only the first two games of the season against unranked teams. Michigan State has also lost several top recruits for next year after the scandal involving their head coach.
Michigan's undefeated Wolverines enter into the matchup on Saturday ranked No. 2 in the county. The last time Michigan was ranked No. 2 ahead of the rivalry game was when they defeated Michigan State in East Lansing in 2016. Michigan is a 24.5-point favorite over the Spartans for Saturday's game.
How Can I Watch The Michigan Vs. Michigan State Game?
Kick off is at 7:33 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The game will be available to watch on NBC Sports. You can watch on your NBC channel if you have cable, or they have a streaming app.
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