The 118th version of the Battle for the Paul Bunyon Trophy kicks off on Saturday night in East Lansing, MI when the Michigan Wolverines travel 60 miles northwest to take on the Michigan State Spartans.
The Spartans have lost four straight – all Big Ten games – and their defense has been absolutely lit up in those games.
Find out who I like in my Michigan vs. Michigan State predictions and college football picks for Saturday, October 25.
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Michigan vs Michigan State prediction
Michigan vs Michigan State best bet: Bryce Underwood Over 16.5 rushing yards (-114 at FanDuel)
True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood has had a few growing pains this season, but there is no denying his raw talent. He is also an incredible athlete and can make huge plays in the running game when the coaching staff allows him to do so.
He has four games this season with less than 13 rushing yards and obviously sacks count against rushing yards for quarterbacks in college. However, he also has three games where he ran for 114, 61, and 25 yards. Now he gets a defense that ranks 122nd in the country in points allowed.
The Michigan State Spartans have allowed 38 points in each of their last three games and 45 points in their other conference games. In two of those four games, they allowed the opposing quarterback to run for at least 18 yards. The other two were against quarterbacks that do not typically run much.
The Spartans also rank in the bottom half of the country in team sacks. If they are unable to get sacks on Underwood, then he should not need to take off too often to easily hit this number.
There will be plenty of pass plays for the Michigan Wolverines in this game and I think he scrambles a few times to get this even if he gets no designed runs.
Michigan vs Michigan State same-game parlay
To add to my best bet, I am going to add Michigan to cover the spread and Andrew Marsh to score a touchdown.
The Spartans have a bad passing defense, and Marsh has three touchdowns this season.
Michigan vs Michigan State SGP
- Bryce Underwood Over 16.5 rushing yards
- Michigan -14.5
- Andrew Marsh anytime touchdown
Our deep-ball SGP: Freshman Phenom
Finally adding Underwood to also find the endzone with his feet will launch the odds of our same-game parlay.
He has three rushing touchdowns this season and this will be an opportunity to add another against this defense.
Michigan vs Michigan State SGP
- Bryce Underwood Over 16.5 rushing yards
- Michigan -14.5
- Andrew Marsh anytime touchdown
- Bryce Underwood anytime touchdown
Michigan vs Michigan State odds
- Spread: Michigan -14.5 (-105) | Michigan State +14.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Michigan -650 | Michigan State +480
- Over/Under: Over 47.5 (-110) | Under 47.5 (-110)
Michigan vs Michigan State trend to know
Michigan State has hit the Game Total Over in nine of their last 12 games. Find more college football betting trends for Michigan vs Michigan State.
How to watch Michigan vs Michigan State
| Location | Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI |
| Date | Saturday, October 25, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBC |
Michigan vs Michigan State latest injuries
Michigan vs Michigan State weather
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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