REPORT: Michigan State-Michigan Still One of the Best Rivalries in Big Ten Football
With Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington joining the Big Ten, the conference's list of storied rivalries has grown even larger.
Even so, Michigan State's rivalry with Michigan is still considered one of the best in the conference, and rightfully so.
Tom Fornelli recently ranked the best rivalries in Big Ten football. The annual battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy came in at No. 5, trailing only UCLA vs. USC (No. 4), Iowa vs. Minnesota (No. 3), Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (No. 2) and Ohio State vs. Michigan (No. 1).
Here's what Fornelli had to say about the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry:
"There's plenty of hate here, as you'd expect from two public schools that share a state and battle each other on and off the field. However, while I appreciate that anger and the trophy is rock solid, the rivalry has been too one-sided to rank any higher than this. Plus, you know, Michigan State isn't Michigan's primary rival. Still, whenever the words "little brother" are thrown around as often as they are here, you can count on fireworks. Michigan leads 73-38-5."
That wasn't the only Michigan State rivalry mentioned on the list. The Spartans' Land Grant Trophy clash with Penn State was ranked No. 16.
"Penn State needed a rival when it joined the Big Ten in 1993, so the Land-Grant Trophy was created out of thin air," Fornelli wrote. "If either side talks about the intensity of this rivalry, it's usually with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It's been an evenly-matched series overall, though. Penn State leads 19-18-1."
You can view Fornelli's complete list here.
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