Michigan and Michigan State are currently in a weather delay as lighting remains in the East Lansing area. The two teams managed to get through most of the first quarter before the weather delay kicked in, but were forced to leave the field as lighting struck near the stadium. It was a defensive struggle through the first quarter of play. Michigan and Michigan State are currently tied at 0 – and that was with nice weather. FOX updated fans with a new start time. The Wolverines and Spartans are expected to see the field against at 1:52 p.m. ET. We’ll have to wait and see if that holds up. More lightning, rain, and possibly snow is in the forecast for the rest of the afternoon. During its broadcast, FOX announced hail is also in the forecast – so the delay could be more severe. Can the Spartans pull off the upset at home? Stay tuned for more updates as they roll in.<doc-sep>Late Saturday afternoon and into the evening, the Big Ten’s East Division race began to come into clearer focus. Not at the top, where Ohio State staved off the Gophers’ upset bid, but just below, where some surprising shifts were taking place. In State College, Pa., Penn State — which had a week off to recover from its come-from-ahead, 27-26 loss to Ohio State — found a way to let Michigan State hang around just enough for the Spartans to escape with a 21-17 victory on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Brian Lewerke to Felton Davis with 19 seconds left in the game. Fast forward to later that night in Ann Arbor, where Michigan faced West-leading Wisconsin in basically an elimination game when it came to College Football Playoff hopes. Both teams carried one loss into the game, and after the Wolverines dismantled the Badgers 38-13, Wisconsin limped home with a promising season in tatters. That left us with No. 2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten), No. 6 Michigan (6-1, 4-0), No. 24 Michigan State (4-1, 2-1) and Maryland (4-2, 2-1) as contenders for the East title. And on Saturday, all eyes will be on the East again with this matchup: Michigan at Michigan State. “The way it always has been, the way it is, the way it always will be,” Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh said, using his usual economy of words. “Big game.” It’s especially big for Michigan and Harbaugh, who has posted 10-3, 10-3 and 8-5 records in his three previous seasons at his alma mater, not exactly a big return on his annual $7.5 million salary. Since the Big Ten split into divisions in 2011 and implemented a championship game, the Wolverines have yet to play in it. “Improvement will lead to success, will lead to championships,” Harbaugh said. The Spartans have been a thorn in Michigan’s side for the past decade, with victories in four of the past five games and eight of the past 10. Though the Wolverines won the last meeting in East Lansing, 32-23 in 2016, few can forget the 2015 finish, when Michigan punter Blake O’Neill fumbled a snap and the Spartans returned it for a touchdown and a 27-23 victory on the game’s last play. “It’s good for college football and I also think it’s also good for the state of Michigan,” Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said of the rivalry, in which he is 8-3 against Michigan. “Everybody’s enthused.” That’s the case with Michigan, which has recovered from its 24-17 loss at Notre Dame in the season opener to win six in a row and not allow an opponent to score more than 21 points. The Wolverines are giving up 238 yards per game, second fewest in the country, and only 209.3 in Big Ten play. Their dominance was on display against Wisconsin. When Michigan’s Lavert Hill intercepted an Alex Hornibrook pass and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown and 31-7 Wolverines lead with 9:55 left in the fourth quarter, the Badgers QB had more than double the yardage in interception returns surrendered (52) than he had in passing yards (25, on 3-for-11 passing). Michigan State, meanwhile, is no slouch on defense, either. The Spartans are allowing 62.3 rushing yards per game, fewest in the country. They will need that against a Michigan offense that ran for 320 against Wisconsin. It all adds up to an intrastate rivalry with conference and national implications. “If you can play well in October, then you’re going to be in the hunt for things in November,” Dantonio said. “So that’s our intent as we move forward, but yeah, I think [the rivalry] intensifies things.” Randy Johnson covers college football for the Star Tribune. Twitter: @RJStrib. E-mail: rjohnson@startribune.com<doc-sep>EAST LANSING, Mich. – Saturday is Michigan’s annual Civil War as the Michigan Wolverines travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. All across the state it’ll be neighbor against neighbor. Husband against wife. Parents against children. Even Republicans against Republicans and Democrats against Democrats. It’ll be a cold, breezy game with mostly cloudy skies and a chance of showers. Dress warm if you are heading up I-96 for the day, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one of those cheap plastic rain ponchos to wear over your Michigan or Michigan State regalia in case it rains. Tailgating temperatures will be in the low to mid 40s (5 to 6 degrees Celsius), with game temperatures in the mid to upper 40s (8 to 9 degrees Celsius). Brrrr! Skies clear out Saturday night, with lows in the low 30s (0 degrees Celsius). Game preview:<doc-sep>
It's a game that needs no introduction: Michigan vs. Michigan State. GAME INFORMATION * Who: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 24 Michigan State * When: 12:05 p.m. * Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing * TV: FOX (How to watch) * Radio: Michigan IMG Sports Network (WWJ-950); Spartan Sports Network (WJR-AM 760 Detroit; WJIM-AM 1240/WMMQ-FM 94.9 Lansing); Sirius Ch. 83, XM Ch. 83, (Internet Ch. 83) * Twitter: Follow Aaron McMann and Matt Wenzel * Live updates: Join the MLive conversation at 11 a.m. * Latest line: Michigan -7 * Series record: Michigan leads 69-36-5 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Five must-reads before kickoff: * Michigan needs a win on Saturday as it enters as the favored team with just two wins in the last decade of the series. But Jim Harbaugh, with a 1-5 record against his rivals since returning to Ann Arbor, may need it more, writes Aaron McMann. * Michigan State's sputtering season got new life on Saturday via an upset win over No. 8 Penn State. Now, its next task will be carrying that momentum into another upset win over Michigan, writes Matt Wenzel. * Mark Dantonio's turnaround in this series, going from six straight losses to eight wins in the last decade, has been a result of emphasizing the rivalry throughout the year. * Shea Patterson has received a directive from his coaches at Michigan, to "manage the game" and don't make bad plays worse. That's led the quarterback to evolve from his playing style at Ole Miss to a player who doesn't try to do it all. * Nobody on the field on Saturday is in a position quite like Ed Warinner: the Michigan offensive line coach was once roommates with Mark Dantonio and met his wife in East Lansing while working under Nick Saban. STAT LEADERS Michigan * Passing: Shea Patterson 109-158, 1,311 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT * Rushing: Karan Higdon 120 carries, 687 yards, 6 TD * Receiving: Zach Gentry 21 catches, 311 yards, 1 TD * Tackles: Devin Bush 45 * Sacks: Devin Bush 3.5 * Interceptions: Josh Metellus 3 Michigan State * Passing: Brian Lewerke 135-225, 1,587 yards, 8 TD, 7 INT * Rushing: Connor Heyward 50 carries, 191 yards, 3 TD * Receiving: Felton Davis 31 catches, 474 yards, 4 TD * Tackles: Joe Bachie 43 * Sacks: Kenny Willekes 5 * Interceptions: Khari Willis 2 BIG TEN SCHEDULE (with predictions) Saturday, Oct. 20 Michigan at Michigan State, noon (FOX) Maryland at Iowa, noon (ESPN2) Illinois at Wisconsin, noon (FS1) Penn State at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) Minnesota at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. (BTN) Ohio State at Purdue, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)