Michigan Is Favored By 24.5 Points Over MSU...It's Not Enough

Michigan is absolutely rolling, while the Spartans in East Lansing are reeling.

Michigan is sitting comfortably at 7-0, while Michigan State is struggling mightily at 2-4, with their only wins coming against Central Michigan and Richmond. The Spartans were blasted by Washington and Maryland, beat handily by Iowa, and just lost to Rutgers in heartbreaking fashion. Jim Harbaugh is in the discussion for coach of the year, while Mel Tucker is in the unemployment line. Poor interim head coach Harlon Barnett is doing all he can, but it's a dead end job for now. Michigan is deep, versatile, talented and disciplined. The Spartans, simply aren't any of those things. That's why the spread for this weekend's game, is 24.5...in East Lansing. But that number isn't big enough. 

Michigan vs. Michigan State usually has a feel about it. All of the cliche statements about rivalries usually ring true when the Wolverines and Spartans square off - "throw out the records", "rankings don't matter", "it's not just a regular game", etc. But this year, the programs could not be further apart in terms of where they're at right now and where they're headed. That's why Michigan is going to cover with ease.

Michigan beat Rutgers by 24, and the Scarlet Knights just beat Michigan State. After U-M's win over Greg Schiano's bunch, all the maize and blue did was go on the road and beat Nebraska and Minnesota, then return home to smash Indiana by a combined score of 149-24. That domination includes a 52-0 run against the Hoosiers last week. To say that the Wolverines are rolling is an understatement and they're going to be as fired up as ever heading into Spartan Stadium this weekend after last year's tunnel incident, whether the players admit it or not.

Here are a few numbers to crunch:

- Michigan's rush offense hasn't been as dominant as some expected, but it's still No. 41 in the country and Blake Corum is leading the nation in rushing scores. Michigan State's rush defense is No. 32 in the country and has only given up three rushing touchdowns all year. Expect the Wolverines to bump those numbers up a bit.

- On the flip side, MSU's rush offense is No. 111 nationally, while the Wolverine rush defense is 100 spots better at No. 11. It's going to be tough sledding for the Spartans on the ground against Michigan and Kenneth Walker isn't coming through those doors anytime soon.

-Coincidentally, Michigan and Michigan State are tied at No. 70 in the country when it comes to passing offense. Both teams throw for 231.7 yards per game, which is wild. 

- On the other side of the ball, it's a much different story. Michigan currently has the No. 2 pass defense in the country, while MSU is all the way down at No. 57. The weather is supposed to be fine in EL on Saturday, so JJ McCarthy should be dialed in through the air.

- Michigan is No. 10 in the country in scoring at 39.4 points per game, while the Spartans are struggling to score all the way down at No. 109 at just 22 points per game.

- In the discipline department, it's even more lopsided. Michigan is No. 1 in the entire country when it comes to committing penalties. They've only committed 16 through seven games. The Spartans, however, are one of the worst teams in the country when it comes to playing clean. They come in at No. 116 in the nation with 45 penalties through just six games.

- Finally, one of the most important stats in football is turnover margin and again, the Wolverines are vastly superior than the Spartans in this category. Michigan is No. 12 in the country at +7, while the Spartans are only better than five teams in the entire nation. They check in at No. 128 nationally when it comes to turnover margin and are currently -6 overall.

So for those measurable reasons, as well as numerous intangible factors like team culture, momentum, coaching advantages, talent discrepancies and motivation, the Wolverines are going to cover the 24.5-point spread with ease in East Lansing.