ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan and Michigan State meet Saturday night at Michigan Stadium with the Paul Bunyan Trophy on the line, a 7:30 p.m. kickoff that arrives with both programs carrying heavy injury lists and uneven records.
The Wolverines are 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten after a road win at Rutgers. The Spartans are 2-6 and 0-5 in league play, riding a six-game losing streak into the Big House. Michigan leads the all-time series 75-38-5 and has won the last four meetings; Michigan State’s most recent Bunyan win came in East Lansing in 2021.
Friday’s availability report left Michigan mostly intact. Safety Rod Moore, safety Jordan Young, edge rushers Dom Nichols and John Henry Daley, offensive lineman Brady Norton and center Jake Guarnera were listed as probable. Two Michigan skill defenders, tight end Hogan Hansen and corner Shamari Earls, stayed on the questionable line. A final game-day report is due around 5:30 p.m., timed for two hours ahead of kickoff.
Michigan State’s sheet is far thinner. Thirteen Spartans are ruled out, including a cluster of skill players: season-ending injury for top back Cam Edwards, plus absences for backs Jaziun Patterson and Marvis Parrish and tight end Jayden Savoury. Kenneth Williams is expected to start at running back after a 54-yard day in the last outing.
Quarterback questions hang over East Lansing. Starter Alessio Milivojevic has been questionable midweek; if he cannot go, true freshman Kayd Coffman — who started at UCLA when Milivojevic was scratched — could be next up. Backup Cam Fancher is also hurt. Michigan is starting freshman Tommy Carr, who threw for 266 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the Rutgers win after coach Kyle Whittingham named him the starter for the foreseeable future.
Oddsmakers installed Michigan as a double-digit favorite with a low total near 39.5 points, reflecting two of the Big Ten’s lowest-scoring offenses. The game is a Peacock streaming exclusive. Whichever side wins keeps or reclaims the wooden trophy that defines the in-state rivalry for another year.
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