Friday Discussion: Is the Michigan-MSU football rivalry dead? - Maize n Brew
By Google News Sports ·
The Michigan Wolverines host the Michigan State Spartans tomorrow night in the latest installment of the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy. I thought I’d get the headline out of the way early since not many people know the game is even going on. In a year in which both Pat Fitzgerald and Kyle Whittingham are having disastrous starts to their tenures at their respective schools, the battle for Paul Bunyan certainly feels like an afterthought. With the advent of the 24-team College Football Playoff and the death of conference championship games, rivalry games seem to be on the hot seat in college football. Is the Michigan vs. Michigan State football rivalry already dead, or is this simply a down year because of the lack of success by both teams? Historically, Michigan State has been Michigan’s second-biggest rival behind archenemy Ohio State. However, it has certainly been the chippiest rivalry of the bunch. Between the tunnel assault by MSU, Mike Hart’s little brother comments, Devin Bush’s field stomping, and Trouble With The Snap, the drama has always been apparent. Things have been calmer in recent years in large part due to the lack of competition. The Wolverines have won the last four MSU matchups and six of the last eight. All the while, the Spartans have cycled through Mel Tucker, Jonathan Smith, and now have Fitzgerald. Things could certainly re-escalate if Fitzgerald can right the ship, but that appears a long way off. The larger point in this discussion circles around the 24-team CFP. It’s been discussed ad nauseam the affects that CFP expansion may or may not have on The Game. However, not many people have discussed the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. How will the CFP affect it moving forward? For one, a loss isn’t nearly as devastating as it used to be. In…
Originally published by Google News Sports
