College Football Week 7 Preview: How Come Michigan Gets 2 Good Teams?

#7 Michigan State @ #12 Michigan

(This is Fany Pack's Fany Pick of the Week.)

Magic falls victim to the heated rivalry

My personal most hyped game for Saturday is Michigan State vs. Michigan. I know LSU's inevitable thumping of Florida excites some people in SEC country, but this is the game I've been waiting for all season. And after watching both teams for the past couple months and trying to figure out which one presents the biggest challenge for the Buckeyes, all I can say is "Thank goodness they play each other first."

Because this game could be brutal. 

Home team Michigan has been gaining momentum like crazy this season season and is on a three-game shutout streak. The Wolverines have arguably the best defense in the country and plenty of confidence under Jim "Quick Results" Harbaugh. They come into the game 5-1, but their loss to now-#4 Utah by a touchdown speaks better for them than any of Michigan State's wins. (I do give the Spartans props for scheduling Oregon and playing so well against the Ducks. It looked like a marquee win. It's not their fault Oregon sucks now.) Most analysts are picking the Wolverines to win. Really, Michigan's only weak spot is its lackluster offense, particularly its quarterback, Jake Rudock. Rudock's not so good at the deep passes, so that's an area in which MSU could try to take advantage.

But Michigan State's hope for winning really rests on quarterback Connor Cook. Cook is a fifth-year senior and having his best season yet, but he's inconsistent. That being said, if he has a great game, I think Michigan State has a chance, because he can be really impressive, particularly at the long throwing game with which Michigan struggles. But without him having a standout day, Sparty is toast. They haven't played in top form for the past few games now, including giving Rutgers a chance to win at the end last week.

On Saturday, we'll get to find out who the best team in Michigan is, and I think it's going to be the Wolverines.

Michigan 24 - Michigan State 10



Northwestern/Iowa
Northwestern 17 - Iowa-20

Florida/LSU
Florida - 17 - LSU 31

Alabama/Texas A&M
Alabama 21 - A&M 31

Ohio State/ Penn St.
Ohio State - 31 Penn St. 28