Game notes: Michigan State at Michigan
Saturday, November 7, kickoff time not yet set, Michigan Stadium.The game page.
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The matchup
- Michigan State (2–5, 0–4 in conference) at Michigan (4–2, 1–2 in conference), Saturday, November 7, kickoff time not yet set, Michigan Stadium.resultsWins and losses in this season’s finished games before kickoff, from the game results on file. Ranks as of the game, as listed with the schedule (AP poll, else the coaches’).
- For the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which Michigan holds.Wikipedia, resultsThe trophy from Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games; who holds it from our results since its first year.
The series
- It will be their 119th meeting; Michigan leads the series 75–38–5.results, WikipediaEvery meeting on file; official counts take out wins the NCAA vacated and count forfeits as the rivalry’s article does.
- Last meeting: Saturday, October 25, 2025: Michigan 31, Michigan State 20.resultsThe most recent meeting on file.
- They first met in 1898: Michigan 39, Michigan State 0.resultsThe earliest meeting on file.
- Michigan is 51–23–3 at home against Michigan State.resultsThe home team’s record against this opponent in its home games (neutral sites aside), every meeting on file.
- Last five meetings: 2025: Michigan 31–20 (at Michigan State); 2024: Michigan 24–17 (at Michigan); 2023: Michigan 49–0 (at Michigan State); 2022: Michigan 29–7 (at Michigan); 2021: Michigan State 37–33 (at Michigan State).resultsThe last five meetings on file.
Michigan State
- Michigan State is 2–5 (0–4 in conference games), 0–2 against ranked teams.resultsWins and losses in this season’s finished games before kickoff, from the game results on file.
- This season: W 30–20 vs. Toledo; W 35–7 vs. Eastern Michigan; L 10–27 at No. 3 Notre Dame; L 13–31 vs. Nebraska; L 3–31 at Wisconsin; L 37–38 vs. Illinois; L 21–24 vs. No. 25 Northwestern.resultsThis season’s finished games.
- Michigan State has lost five straight, since beating Eastern Michigan 35–7 (Sept. 12, 2026).resultsThe team’s current run of results, every finished game on file across seasons.
- Michigan State is No. 111 of 138 FBS teams in our Elo ratings.our ratingsOur Elo rating, from every game on file, ranked among active FBS teams.
- Pat Fitzgerald is 2–5 in his first season at Michigan State and 112–106 as an FBS head coach.results, WikipediaHead-coaching seasons on file, ours rebuilt from game results and the season articles’ coaching splits.
- Pat Fitzgerald is 1–9 against Michigan.results, WikipediaGames between the two coaches’ teams in seasons each was the head coach, every game on file.
- Alessio Milivojevic (QB): 1,263 passing yards, 7 TD, the team leader in passing yards.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- Jaziun Patterson (RB): 327 rushing yards, 5 TD, the team leader in rushing yards.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- Devin Vaught (S): 46 tackles, 1 INT, the team leader in tackles.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- On this date in 1998, Michigan State beat No. 1 Ohio State 28–24.resultsThe team’s most notable finished game on this calendar date in an earlier season: a ranked opponent first, then a bowl, then the newest.
Michigan
- Michigan is 4–2 (1–2 in conference games), 1–1 against ranked teams.resultsWins and losses in this season’s finished games before kickoff, from the game results on file.
- This season: W 13–12 vs. Western Michigan; W 17–10 vs. No. 11 Oklahoma; W 52–17 vs. UTEP; L 19–20 vs. No. 17 Iowa; L 14–20 at Minnesota; W 21–18 vs. Penn State.resultsThis season’s finished games.
- Michigan is No. 25 of 138 FBS teams in our Elo ratings.our ratingsOur Elo rating, from every game on file, ranked among active FBS teams.
- Kyle Whittingham is 4–2 in his first season at Michigan and 181–90 as an FBS head coach.results, WikipediaHead-coaching seasons on file, ours rebuilt from game results and the season articles’ coaching splits.
- Kyle Whittingham faces Michigan State as a head coach for the first time.results, WikipediaGames between the two coaches’ teams in seasons each was the head coach, every game on file.
- Bryce Underwood (QB): 924 passing yards, 5 TD, the team leader in passing yards.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- J.J. Buchanan (WR): 27 catches, 482 yards, 4 TD, the team leader in receiving yards.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- Troy Bowles (LB): 50 tackles, 0.5 sacks, the team leader in tackles.resultsThis season’s team leaders and national ranks, from player season statistics.
- On this date in 2020, Michigan lost to No. 13 Indiana 38–21.resultsThe team’s most notable finished game on this calendar date in an earlier season: a ranked opponent first, then a bowl, then the newest.
The coaches
- Kyle Whittingham is 0–1 against Pat Fitzgerald’s teams as a head coach.results, WikipediaGames between the two coaches’ teams in seasons each was the head coach, every game on file.
Sources
Every sentence here is ours, written from counts we make over the games on file. Where the facts come from:
- CollegeFootballData.com: Game results, rankings and player statistics; the sentence and every count in it are ours. Derived output (CollegeFootballData.com terms, section 4).
- Wikipedia: Facts from Wikipedia’s lists and articles (schools’ record books, trophies, College GameDay sites, coaching records), restated. CC BY-SA 4.0 (facts restated; credit Wikipedia).
- CollegeFootballDigest: Our own ratings (Elo) and research notes. CC BY 4.0.
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