'It's a state divided': MSU head coach Jonathan Smith talks Michigan rivalry

First-year Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith discussed the in-state rivalry between the Spartans and the Wolverines at Big Ten Media Days...

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan and Michigan State traded wins and losses on the football field going back to 2015, when Jim Harbaugh was hired in Ann Arbor. However, the Wolverines have seized momentum in the annual series with back-to-back wins and a 49-0 beatdown of the Spartans in East Lansing last fall.

The rivalry game's vitriol reached new heights over the past nine years. It's no secret that former Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio and Harbaugh were less than fond of one another, and the intensity of disdain only increased when Mel Tucker lead the Spartans from 2021-23. At Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, new MSU head coach Jonathan Smith was asked about the temperature of the rivalry as he gets set to enter the fray.

"It's going to be passionate," Smith said. "I enjoy being in an in-state rivalry. Really, my whole coaching career there was an in-state rivalry that took place and I think that's the beautiful thing about college football — the traditions. Look, we're always — every game means something, but that game definitely will mean a whole lot."

There's some belief that with new head coaches on both sides of the rivalry, the series could take on a more respectful and cordial tone in the coming years. Smith has no prior connection to Michigan State, while new Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore has been a part of the Wolverines' program since 2018. The two head coaches met at Big Ten coaches meetings earlier this year, and had a conversation at a recent Sound Mind, Sound Body event in Detroit.

"I pay him respects for what he was contributing to the last few years at that place," Smith said of Moore on Wednesday.

From 2008-15, Michigan State won seven of eight meetings with Michigan, including the infamous "Trouble with the Snap" game in Harbaugh's first year in Ann Arbor. Since then, the Wolverines have taken five of eight from the Spartans, including the last two by a combined score of 78-7. Michigan State's program has fallen on hard times, and there will be pressure on Smith to change the Spartans' fortunes in this game sooner rather than later.

"It means a lot," Smith said. "It's a state divided, even families divided, which is common in other rivalries. Again, I go back to I think it's a great thing for college football."

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