“Oh he has trouble with the snap, and the ball is free… it’s picked up by Michigan state’s… Jalen Watts-Jackson and he scores! On the last play of the game, unbelievable!”

Everyone who is passionate about this rivalry knows that call by Sean Mcdonough in the 2015 Michigan vs Michigan State game where the outcome came down to a fumbled snap on a punt and was returned to the end zone by Jalen Watts-Jackson of Michigan State, a name nobody had ever heard before but now no one will ever forget.

The next matchup in 2016 featured the number two ranked Michigan wolverines and an unranked Michigan state team where the Wolverines were able to come out victorious by a score of 32-23, bringing the Paul Bunyan trophy back to Ann Arbor.

In 2017 however, the game was much different. The two teams battled it out in monsoon like conditions, it was a defensive slugfest with very little scoring but the Spartans were able to prevail, winning the game 14-10, securing eight of the last ten victories.

This rivalry means the world to all of us proud Michiganders and if your team fails to come out on top, you hear all year round about what could have been a victory. It’s bites at you constantly and you find yourself miserable. My personal experiences with this have included anger, lack of sleep and just plain depression. Many of you reading this are thinking, “God this guy is overthinking this  and there’s no reason to be dwelling over just a game.” That’s where you’re wrong. To us loyal fans who tune in every saturday to watch our team and put loads of money towards gear and merchandise, spending hours upon hours analyzing our team and attending their games, it is much more than just a game. It is a burning passion. This game is in our blood. You are either a Wolverine or a Spartan, NOTHING in between.

After reading this, you are probably wondering what side am I on? I am on the Victors, Valiant side, the Maize and Blue faithful. In my lifetime, this rivalry has been MSU dominant and that has hurt me greatly. But what shouldn’t go unnoticed is the fact that the Victors Valiant, the Michigan Wolverines lead the all time series, 36-30-2. Yes, I hate having to refer to the all time series record when arguing for my team, which is why I won’t have to after the Wolverines travel to East Lansing and bring the Paul Bunyan trophy back to its rightful home of Ann Arbor.

The visiting Wolverines come into this game at 6-1, ranked number six in the nation and are higher than ever having won six straight victories after the heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame to start the season. The home team, the Spartans of East Lansing come into this game 4-2, having just beat a top tier, Penn State team, a much needed victory after a rocky start to the season with losses to unranked Arizona State and Northwestern to help keep hope with the Green and White faithful.

Michigan has all sorts of talent on both sides of the ball. Defensively in defensive linemen, Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary as well as linebacker Devin Bush. All highly raved NFL prospects. That’s not even half of it though. Other Wolverines worth noting are Quarterback Shea Patterson, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, and running back Karan Higdon who has had five straight 100 plus yard rushing games including a stellar performance against the Badgers of Wisconsin, last saturday.

The fact of the matter is this, the Wolverines are much more stacked in talent and one can argue in motivation to win this game as well. The Maize and Blue will play a very passionate, dominant game and defeat little brother this weekend. Go Blue.