Michigan football a 24-point favorite over Michigan State for Saturday's rivalry game
The odds are out, and they don't look good for Michigan State.
Michigan opens as a 24-point favorite to beat the Spartans on Saturday in the 113th all-time meeting, according to VegasInsider.com, one of the largest spreads in the past 40 years..
Kickoff is noon at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
The largest line in the series in the past 40 years came in 1992, when the Wolverines were a 28-point home favorite over MSU, according to KillerSports.com. U-M won that game, 35-10, but did not cover.
The Wolverines were favored two other times by more than 20 points and didn't cover either of those - in 1991 (26.5), a 45-28 U-M win, and in 2016 (24.5), a 32-23 victory.
It marks the first game in the rivalry for new Spartans coach Mel Tucker, who was a graduate assistant in 1997 and '98 when U-M beat Nick Saban and MSU. Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh is 3-2 against the Spartans.
The Wolverines defeated MSU last season, 44-10, and this is the second straight year the game will be played in Ann Arbor. U-M has won three of the last four meetings, including two in a row for the first time since 2006-07.
Contact Chris Solari:Â csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football opens as 24-point over Michigan State football
