Michigan and Michigan State have been playing each other since 1898, and here are the 15 most important moments from the long standing rivalry.

It's pretty easy to understand how this rivalry has grown into one of the best in all of sports. I mean think about it, two schools playing each other every year for more than a century. Then factor in how close they are to each other, and you have all of the makings for a classic rivalry.

Michigan has been the dominant team in the series if you are strictly looking at wins and losses. The Wolverines lead the series over Michigan State 71-37-5, but there's more to the story than that. Michigan picked up a huge chunk of their wins early in the series, but Michigan State has had much more success in the last half of the rivalry.

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It doesn't matter if you bleed Maize & Blue or Green & White, there is no denying the weight this rivalry carries. Many coaches throughout the long history of the backyard brawl will say that it doesn't matter what kind of season you had if you lost to the other school.

The series has seen fights, upsets, huge scores, and the most unbelievable ending to a football game that anyone has ever witnessed. Through it all, every year Michigan and Michigan State fans will tell you why their team is going to win the Paul Bunyon Trophy this year.

Michigan and Michigan State started off the 2021 season with low expectations from college football experts. Both teams have performed better than expected, and are now both ranked in the top 10 (Michigan is ranked 8th & MSU is ranked 10th).

Before we all start arguing about who is going to win and keep their Cinderella season alive, let's take a look back at the 15 most important moments from the rivalry so far.

15 Most Important Games In The Michigan vs Michigan State Rivalry

Michigan and Michigan State have been battling it out on the gridiron since 1898. You can imagine that playing each other for that long will lead to a pretty heated rivalry. The Michigan / Michigan State rivalry is one of the best in all of sports. There have been many moments that helped to build that rivalry over the years. Check out 15 of the most important games over the decades of the Backyard Brawl.

 

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