There are a few games that define every season and for the Michigan football team in 2019, Michigan State is one of them.
The Spartans are one of the Wolverines true rivals along with Ohio State and to a lesser extent Notre Dame. Sure, beating the Fighting Irish is a big deal and they are clearly No. 3 in terms of rivals, this game just means something different and it’s not about the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
This about owning the state of Michigan, something the Wolverines used to do. For about the past decade that hasn’t really been true and while the Spartans could still possibly lay claim to it, since MSU is 2-2 against Jim Harbaugh, a win today helps end that argument.