A rivalry that goes so far back, you have to start in the 1800s.

Michigan currently leads the all-time series over Michigan State 74–38–5. The first matchup came on October 12, 1898, in Ann Arbor, where Michigan won 39–0. The rematch four years later? A ridiculous 119–0 Wolverines victory. No real reason to bring that up—other than to give the Spartans a little bulletin-board material.

Michigan also carries a three-game winning streak (‘22–‘24) into this year’s clash, looking to extend it against a down-and-out Spartans squad.

Michigan State limps back to East Lansing with a 3–4 record (0–4 Big Ten) after a royal beatdown in Bloomington. The silver lining? Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh continue to show flashes of what the future could be. The dark side? This Spartan defense couldn’t stop a flu with a flu shot. If the offense can’t put up 40+, there’s no safety net coming from the other side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Michigan sits at 3–1 in conference, part of a six-way tie chasing the 4–0 Hoosiers and Buckeyes for the Big Ten’s top spot. The Wolverines clawed their way back into the national top 25 at #25, fresh off a gritty home win over Washington. That came one week after a humbling trip west to USC—one that seems to have lit a fire under Sherrone Moore's squad.

Now they travel just 60 miles northwest to East Lansing, where desperation will fill Spartan Stadium like smoke before kickoff.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith didn’t mince words this week:

“I do think this is an important opportunity that this game presents. Year in and year out, it’s going to, because it means more. But also, just where we’re at in our current season, the tough times we’ve had the last couple weeks – all of that. This is an awesome opportunity to change the tide.”

It might sound like an overreaction, but it’s not. This could very well be the defining game of Smith’s tenure. Beat Michigan for the first time in four years, and maybe—just maybe—he wins back enough of Spartan Nation to buy himself time. But if Michigan rolls into East Lansing and drops a 40-burger while humiliating the Spartans in front of their home crowd? That seat becomes nuclear hot.

Regardless of what happens on the sideline, this game means more to fans than anyone else. Michigan’s true archrival might be that team down south, but for Spartan fans, this is the game. The “little brother” jabs still echo from Great Lake to Great Lake. The midfield stomps. The pregame chirps. All of it adds fuel to the fire.

If the Spartans are going to pull off the upset, it starts with leaning on Chiles and Marsh, tightening up the defense just enough to force a mistake or two, and riding the emotion of a night in Spartan Stadium.

Because if there’s one thing we know about this rivalry—it never really cares about records.