Michigan Favored in Primetime at Michigan State

The in-state rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State will be played Saturday, Oct. 25 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC in the 118th meeting between the programs. Michigan (5-2) leads the all-time series and has won the last three; it returned to form with a 24-7 win over Washington and re-entered the AP Top 25. Michigan State is 3-4 overall, has lost four straight (including a 38-13 loss at Indiana) and is 0-4 in Big Ten play. Oddsmakers and analytics heavily favor Michigan — models put the Wolverines' win probability around 86–88% and the spread is about 14–14.5 points — and the game carries bowl-eligibility and Big Ten standings implications. The teams will once again compete for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.