What they're saying before Michigan football takes on MSU

Michigan Wolverines football will do battle with Michigan State Saturday in East Lansing. Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying before kickoff.

Ari Wasserman, On3: College Football Week 9 picks: Picking the biggest games against the spread

#25 Michigan at Michigan State (+15) O/U: 48.5
Michigan looked as good as it has looked all season last week in a convincing home win over Washington. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is growing right in front of our eyes, the passing game is much improved and the the defense didn’t allow a potent Huskies team to assert their will. Michigan State, meanwhile, doesn’t have a ton to bring to the table. Though this is a rivalry game, I like the Wolverines to win convincingly and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Who isn’t rooting for Michigan to get to 9-2 and before hosting Ohio State for a spot in the CFP?
The pick: Michigan to cover

Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: Wojo’s Pigskin Picks: Can Spartans muster up the energy to wreck Wolverines’ season?

I’m convinced these programs cannot possibly be great at the same time. At Michigan, RichRod and Brady Hoke couldn’t grasp the size of the job. At MSU, Mel Tucker grasped the wrong things.

By mutual consent, both programs have tried to tone down the rhetoric and crank up the respect, sort of. After Harbaugh sprinted to the NFL, UM promoted assistant Sherrone Moore, which made sense considering he’d already beaten Ohio State and was right there in the office. MSU hired Jonathan “L’ish” Smith from Oregon State, which made sense because, well, a program couldn’t strike out with two John Smiths in one generation, right?

Now all we need is a bit more competitive ferocity. UM (5-2) still has a chance at a fine season if it can handle MSU (3-4) Saturday night in Spartan Stadium. If the Wolverines win, they have nothing but patsies the rest of the schedule – Purdue, Northwestern, Maryland, The Ohio. Moore is 13-7 in two seasons and remains hopeful nobody will notice six of his seven losses were by double digits.

This is perfect for Spartan fans, who would sacrifice a kidney and/or a gall bladder to ruin UM’s hopes. Unconfirmed reports suggest some disgruntled MSU fans are rooting for the Wolverines to hasten Smith’s departure. Having witnessed this rivalry for decades, I can confidently say they’re all lying.

Aaron McMann, MLive: Michigan vs. Michigan State score predictions from MLive’s beat writers

Michigan has the edge on the ground and on defense, giving the Wolverines a clear advantage Saturday in East Lansing. Bryce Underwood and Michigan should have no issue moving the football; limiting turnovers and silly mistakes will be critical.

Defensively, Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh will be key to identify. Wink Martindale’s unit had no issue with Washington QB Demond Williams Jr.; I suspect Chiles will be in a similar boat. Prediction: Michigan 34, Michigan State 17

Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal: Couch: Amid misery and the passing of years, MSU football badly needs a win over Michigan

It’s a rivalry you have to experience as a player to understand how to thrive in it. Players have been saying that for decades.

“Last year, with the (number of guys from the) transfer portal, with everything, we had guys coming in not really understanding what the rivalry is about,” Marsh said.

That’s going to happen more often to this rivalry and rivalries everywhere in college football, given the increasingly transient nature of the sport. Teams that have some degree of continuity, historical sense and sweat equity will stand out.

Smith, 75 days from this game, began emphasizing it, including bringing in former longtime MSU strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie, who was part of 11 wins over Michigan in 25 years, beginning under Nick Saban though Dantonio.

It’s a rivalry you have to experience as a player to understand how to thrive in it. Players have been saying that for decades.

“Last year, with the (number of guys from the) transfer portal, with everything, we had guys coming in not really understanding what the rivalry is about,” Marsh said.

That’s going to happen more often to this rivalry and rivalries everywhere in college football, given the increasingly transient nature of the sport. Teams that have some degree of continuity, historical sense and sweat equity will stand out.

Smith, 75 days from this game, began emphasizing it, including bringing in former longtime MSU strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie, who was part of 11 wins over Michigan in 25 years, beginning under Nick Saban though Dantonio.

Austin Meek, The Athletic: What’s on the line in Michigan-Michigan State? Why there’s an undertone of desperation

Is Michigan’s defense fixed?
The Wolverines are facing another mobile quarterback in Aidan Chiles, another top-flight wide receiver in Nick Marsh and another offense that’s likely to attack them with screen passes. The Wolverines faced similar challenges against USC and Washington with vastly different results. On the heels of a defensive collapse against the Trojans, the Wolverines corrected many of their most glaring problems in a 24-7 win against the Huskies. They expect Michigan State to test many of the same pressure points.

“We’re going to get screens the rest of the year,” defensive tackle Tré Williams said. “After we put on tape what we put on tape against USC, any offense would be stupid not to run screens against us.”

The Wolverines are used to seeing screen passes as a way to take advantage of their aggressive pass rush. USC exploited that to great effect. Chiles isn’t on the same tier as Jayden Maiava or Demond Williams Jr., the quarterbacks Michigan faced the last two weeks, but he’s elusive enough to make plays outside the pocket. The Wolverines also have to keep tabs on Marsh, who has five touchdown receptions.

“Chiles is a really good quarterback,” Moore said. “He’s created some explosive plays with his legs, too. He’s not as twitchy as Williams was, but he definitely can make those plays with his legs. He does a good job with play-action and things in the pocket, rolling out. We’ve got to do a good job of containing him.”

Angelique Chengelis and Connor Earegood, The Detroit News: Michigan vs. Michigan State: Who has the edge

Intangibles
Michigan enters this matchup with the Spartans with momentum coming off an important win against Washington after imploding at USC. The Wolverines need to maintain that momentum if they want to make the playoffs, so that’s an added layer to a game that already carries important state bragging rights. One thing to keep in mind, Michigan is tied for third nationally in turnover margin. The Wolverines have 11 interceptions and forced three fumbles, while they’ve committed five turnovers for a plus-nine.

A four-game losing streak and a fire under its coach’s seat should have this Michigan State team plenty motivated for this game. It’s season-saving if the Spartans win this game, and it might buy Jonathan Smith some more time to get this program going. Michigan State’s struggles to get stops on defense or scores on offense as of late are concerning trends, and it may take more than extra rivalry juice to correct those problems. There’s an evident talent gap on this team, substantially held back by injuries in all three phases.
Edge: Michigan