ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The state’s biggest college football rivalry comes back to Michigan Stadium on Saturday night, when Michigan hosts Michigan State in the 119th meeting between the schools with the Paul Bunyan Trophy at stake.
Michigan, 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten, has won the last four games in the series, its longest run against the Spartans since six straight from 2002 to 2007. Overall, Michigan holds a 75-38-5 edge in the matchup and is are 42-29-2 in games played for the trophy, according to the university. At home, Michigan is 52-23-3 against its rival.
Michigan State arrives at 2-6 and winless in five league games, sitting last in the conference standings in the first season under coach Pat Fitzgerald. The Spartans do have one edge: they are coming off a bye week and have had extra time to prepare.
Michigan is coming off a 28-21 win at Rutgers, its first road victory of the year. Quarterback Tommy Carr has completed 42 of 59 passes for 433 yards and a touchdown in his two starts. Early betting lines made the Wolverines a 13.5-point favorite, with the total set at 40.5 points. A loss would add pressure on first-year Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham.
Saturday is the fifth straight night game in the rivalry, and Michigan has won all four of the previous ones. The Wolverines are 12-1 in night kickoffs since the start of 2023.
The trophy was first awarded in 1953, the year the Spartans entered the Big Ten. It was donated by then-Gov. G. Mennen Williams and stands nearly four feet tall, showing Paul Bunyan with an axe and his feet planted over the state. Michigan is billing the game as a Blue Out and its annual Military Appreciation Game, with more than 150 former players set to line the field before kickoff.
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