As the annual rivalry game between Michigan and Michigan State nears, oddsmakers are shrinking the point spread gap between the two teams as public money comes in on the Spartans.
The Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) opened the week as a six-point favorite over Michigan State (4-3, 2-2) on Sunday, but as of Wednesday evening, Michigan is now only favored by 3.5 points according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Wolverines return to Ann Arbor after back-to-back road defeats at Washington (27-17) and Illinois (21-7), sandwiched around their bye week. Michigan has lost three games prior to the start of November for the first time since 2014, and has played three different quarterbacks in an attempt to ignite an offense that ranks 118th in total yards and 112th in scoring (21.1 ppg).
Meanwhile, Michigan State is coming off its best performance of the season in a 32-20 victory over Iowa this past weekend. The Spartans ended a three-game losing streak, which included defeats at the hands of Boston College (23-19), Ohio State (38-7) and Oregon (31-10), and have already matched last season’s win total in their first year under new head coach Jonathan Smith.
This year’s meeting between Michigan and Michigan State will be the first in the series with neither team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since 2008, a 35-21 win over the Spartans. It will be the 117th meeting all time between the rivals, with the Wolverines holding a 73-38-5 edge in the series. Michigan and Michigan State have split the last 10 meetings, with the Wolverines winning two in a row: 29-7 in Ann Arbor in 2022, and 49-0 in East Lansing in 2023.
Kickoff in this year’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, with Big Ten Network carrying the broadcast.
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