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The best game of the college football schedule this weekend – and perhaps the year to date – is Saturday night in East Lansing between Michigan and Michigan State. Two teams, undefeated, in the same conference and division, both of whom come into the weekend ranked in the top 10….two programs that also happen to bitter in-state rivals?
Doesn’t get much better than that.
Former college football head coach Lou Holtz, best known for his successful stint at Notre Dame but who was also a head coach at Arkansas, Minnesota and lastly South Carolina, doesn’t exactly see this as a tight game.
“Michigan State is absolutely hammered Michigan since Jim Harbaugh has arrived there. When you look at Michigan, they are number five in the country against the run they’re number 15 in the country in scoring, total defense has been outstanding. When you look at [it] they’re good on third down,” Holtz said on ‘The Crowd’s Line.’
“[Cade] McNamara has thrown only one interception but he’s also only thrown five touchdowns. I think [Blake] Corum has done a tremendous job, he 10 touchdowns this year. When you look at the net punting, Michigan is very good. However, Michigan State has a number one punt return to the country and that could be a difference in this game. Michigan lost their only real deep threat in [Ronnie] Bell to an injury earlier in the year.
“When I look at Michigan State, they’re balanced, they can run a throw. But they’re not great versus the pass. This is an interesting matchup. What I really look at it is my belief that Michigan wins this game 31-20 because it is so important to Harbaugh to break that streak against Michigan State and Ohio State.”
Holtz’s “streak” is a run of bad losses by Michigan to their in-state rival in recent years, including a 27-24 win by Michigan State last year when the Wolverines were No. 13 in the nation.
In the last eight years, Michigan State has beaten their in-state rivals five times. The average margin of victory in the Spartans five wins over that stretch is by 11.6 points, although the last three Michigan State wins over Michigan are by a combined 11 points.
A very bold 11-point prediction by Holtz to say the least.
Mark May, a former standout offensive lineman at Pitt who spent 14 years in the NFL that included two Super Bowl titles, picked Michigan in a tight 24-21 win.
The common denominator between the two programs is Rutgers. In Week 4, Michigan held on to beat Rutgers 20-13 in Ann Arbor. Two weeks later, Rutgers lost at home 31-13 to Michigan State.