Today at 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 21 Michigan (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and No. 22 Michigan State (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) square off live from Spartan Stadium in Michigan. The game can be live streamed here. Wolverines fans can hear all the action on WWJ 950 AM while Spartans fans can do the same on WJR-AM 760.
There's a lot of important things at stake as these two heated rivals take the field, from bragging rights to the possibility of it deciding who plays in the Big Ten championship game, but Wolverine's coach Brady Hoke won't start talking about championships just yet.
"If you get ahead of yourself, you're really going to make a mistake," he told ESPN Tuesday. "Our thoughts and everything that we're focusing on is going up to East Lansing and competing like hell with Michigan State."
Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said his team's goals end with the championship game.
"We have our goals, just like everybody else," Dantonio said per ESPN. "And among our goals is to be in that championship game and then to win it."
Michigan State made it to the championship game in 2011 and lost to Wisconsin but was able to defeat Georgia in a bowl game.
While the Legends Division title won't be clinched by either team this weekend, both teams recognize how important it would be for both programs to make the championship game.
"As a competitor, there's no question that the goals are always high, the expectations are high," Hoke said. "So when you don't achieve those aspirations -- which everyone in this conference has which is to win the conference -- then it obviously hasn't been the kind of year that you want."
The Spartans crushed the Wolverines last time around, but Michigan State isn't about to let that happen again.
"They bullied us," offensive tackle Taylor Lewan said Monday, according to ESPN. "That's tough for me to admit because I don't like getting bullied."
Michigan will be without A.J. Williams, who violated team rules according to Hoakes.
"It's certainly disappointing when one of your kids makes a very poor decision," Hoke said in a statement released by the school after his weekly news conference via ESPN. "A.J. realizes he has let a lot of people down, including himself. As families do, we will help A.J. as he learns a valuable lesson from this."
Michigan is rested-up after coming off of a 63-47 home victory over Indiana in its last game on Oct. 19 while Michigan State is coming off of a 42-3 win at Illinois last Saturday in its fourth straight win.
The battle of Michigan will be underway when these two teams take the field this afternoon.
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