Folks, Hate Week is here just in case you’ve gotten lost in all the hot seat talk. Michigan State and Michigan will face off on Saturday night in East Lansing for what should be one of the more interesting battles between the two programs.
Michigan State has lost four straight, but held its own against Nebraska and USC before getting smacked by UCLA and looking competent offensively against Indiana.
Michigan just bounced back from a USC loss to beat a solid Washington team in Ann Arbor to improve to 5-2 on the season and sneak back into the rankings at No. 25.
This is a game when you can throw out the records because both sides hate each other and it’s almost always a close battle (we’re not counting that 2023 disaster). Hatred is on the menu, and star Michigan State receiver Nick Marsh is fully aware of that.
Now in his second year with the Spartans, Marsh got introduced to the rivalry last year with some extracurricular stuff going on, and he expects the same this time around.
Michigan State WR Nick Marsh on playing Michigan:
— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) October 21, 2025
“Just trying to avoid stuff like that (altercations), and then, you know, just knowing that they're going to try to start something, it’s not fuel for us, playing them is enough fuel for us.” pic.twitter.com/zt2zwM9Do5
Marsh admitted that Michigan is “going to try to start something” on Saturday, which is what many Spartan fans expect. The Spartans are always touted as the aggressor and that 2022 tunnel incident didn’t help, but this rivalry has been toxic from both sides. Marsh knows that Michigan will try to provoke the Spartans on Saturday.
It’s good to hear that the team leaders aren’t going to fall for the extracurricular stuff that will surely happen after the whistle on Saturday. Keeping a level head will be important.
This rivalry has gotten far too toxic over the years, and if the Spartans want to get back on top of it, they’ll need to keep cool heads when Michigan tries to provoke them.
Saturday should be interesting.