Michigan State vs Michigan 10/30/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Michigan State Spartans meet the Michigan Wolverines Saturday in week 9 Big Ten college football action from Spartan Stadium. Michigan is fresh off a matchup versus Northwestern. In that game the Wolverines secured a blowout win. As for the Spartans, they had a bye last week. Michigan State last appeared in a five-point win over Indiana. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Michigan had a couple of close calls in their first half-dozen games, but emerged unscathed. The Wolverines took out Western Michigan 47-14, Washington 31-10, Northern Illinois 63-10, Rutgers 20-13, Wisconsin 38-17 and Nebraska 32-29 in succession over their first six. 

Last weekend versus Northwestern, Michigan turned a slim 10-7 halftime lead into a 33-7 blowout victory with 23 unanswered points. QB Cade McNamara had 129 yards, while Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins had a combined 229 yards and four scores rushing.

Over on the Michigan State side, they’ve been rolling along quite well this year. The Spartans have beaten Northwestern 38-21, Youngstown State 42-14, Miami-FL 38-17 Nebraska 23-20 (OT), Western Kentucky 48-31, Rutgers 31-13 and Indiana 20-15. 

In the tight win over the Hoosiers, Michigan State scored 10 unanswered third-quarter points and hung on for the win. QB Payton Thorne put up 126 yards with one TD and two picks. Kenneth Walker led the rush on 84 yards and Jayden Reed caught four balls for 70 yards. 

The Wolverines are 6-1 ATS in their last seven overall and 5-1 ATS in their last six after a straight-up win. Michigan is also 4-1 ATS in their last five after an ATS win. 

Meanwhile, the Spartans are 5-0-2 ATS in their last seven overall and 4-9-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record. Michigan State is 3-0-1 ATS in their last four conference games as well. 

PICK: I’m going to stick with Michigan. The Wolverines were completely dominant over Northwestern in their last outing, racking up 457 yards (294 on the ground), 29 first downs and a nice 12-of-20 mark on third-down tries. Michigan held the Wildcats to 233 yards and 10 first downs on the other side. 

As for Michigan State, they were outplayed in most facets versus the Hoosiers in their last game, but to their credit the team still found a way to win. The numbers are quite tepid, however: 241 total yards, 14 first downs, two turnovers and 12 penalties. The Spartans are going to need to sharpen up for this one, and I think Michigan will keep them at bay.