Michigan -- Michigan State football rivalry - wikipedia Michigan -- Michigan State football rivalry Michigan -- Michigan State football rivalry Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans First meeting October 12, 1898, Ann Arbor Michigan 36, State Agricultural College Latest meeting October 7, 2017, Ann Arbor Michigan State 14, Michigan 10 Next meeting 2018, East Lansing Trophy Paul Bunyan Trophy, Michigan leads, 36 -- 27 -- 2 Statistics Meetings total 110 All - time series Michigan leads, 69 -- 36 -- 5 Largest victory Michigan, 119 -- 0 ( 1902 ) Longest win streak Michigan, 14 ( 1916 -- 29 ) Longest unbeaten streak Michigan, 18 ( 1916 -- 1933 ) Current win streak Michigan State, 1 ( 2017 -- present ) The Michigan -- Michigan State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State University Spartans. The winner of each year 's game receives the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The teams first played in 1898 and have met almost every year since 1910 ( exceptions in 1943, 44 ) ; the competition became a conference rivalry with Michigan State 's entrance into the Big Ten Conference in 1950. Contents 1 Series history 2 Paul Bunyan Trophy 3 Notable games 3.1 1898 : The first game 3.2 1900s 3.3 1910s 3.4 1970s 3.5 1990s 3.6 2000s 3.7 2010s 4 Accomplishments by the two rivals 5 Game results 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Series history Michigan leads the series 69 -- 36 -- 5. The series record for the Paul Bunyan Trophy ( as of 2017 ) is 36 -- 27 -- 2 for Michigan as the trophy was n't added until Michigan State became a full member of the Big Ten in 1953, at which point Michigan led 33 -- 9 -- 3. A home - and - home series did not begin until the 1958 season. Through the 1957 season, the game was played in Ann Arbor 46 times and in East Lansing only 6 times. However, Michigan went 5 - 1 in East Lansing over that time. At the start of the trophy game series, Michigan State began a nearly two - decade period of dominance. From 1950 to 1969, Michigan State went 14 -- 4 -- 2. For the next four decades, Michigan went 30 -- 10. Since the Spartans hired coach Mark Dantonio, Michigan State has won eight of the last eleven games. Michigan State has held a four - game winning streak on four separate occasions ( most recently in the 2008 -- 11 seasons ) in the series history. Michigan has held winning streaks of fourteen, ten, eight, six and five games throughout the series. Paul Bunyan trophy The Paul Bunyan Trophy on display at Michigan State in 2009 The game 's trophy is the `` Paul Bunyan -- Governor of Michigan Trophy '', or simply, the Paul Bunyan Trophy. It is a four foot tall wooden statue of the legendary giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan on a five - foot base. It reflects Michigan 's history as a major lumber - producing state. The trophy was first presented in 1953 by governor G. Mennen Williams to commemorate Michigan State 's joining the Big Ten Conference. When the trophy was created in 1953, Michigan athletic director and former head coach Fritz Crisler refused to take the trophy if Michigan had won the game. Michigan State won the first game for the Paul Bunyan Trophy in 1953, displaying it proudly in Jenison Fieldhouse. The following year in 1954, the trophy was left on the field for half an hour after Michigan defeated the Spartans 33 -- 7. `` We 'll find a place for the trophy, '' Crisler told The Michigan Daily after game. The Paul Bunyan Trophy was stored in the Michigan Stadium locker room in one of the equipment closets. Despite winning in 1954 and 1955, Michigan did not engrave their scores onto the neglected trophy. When the Spartans won in 1956, they engraved the Wolverine victories onto the trophy. The 1958 game was a 12 -- 12 tie. The favored Spartans were so embarrassed that they did n't win, they originally refused to keep the trophy while Michigan refused to take the trophy. Michigan State eventually relented and kept the trophy. Despite its rocky start, the Trophy has become an important icon for both Universities, as a symbol of football supremacy in the State of Michigan. Notable games 1898 : the first game The first game in the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State ( then known as Michigan Agricultural College ) was played in Ann Arbor on October 12, 1898, with Michigan defeating the Aggies 39 -- 0. The Detroit Free Press wrote that the game was `` essentially a practice game, '' as Michigan played 25 different players during the game. Charles Widman scored two touchdowns and was `` the strongest ground - gainer '' for Michigan. In the second half, Keena also kicked a field goal from a place - kick, `` the first time a Michigan eleven has ever scored in that fashion. '' After the 1898 shutout, Michigan sent its freshman team against Michigan Agricultural for the next three years. The two rivals have played each other more than 100 times since the inaugural meeting in 1898. 1900s Albert E. Herrnstein scored seven touchdowns against the Aggies in 1902. 1902. Michigan 's 1902 team finished 11 -- 0, outscored opponents 644 to 12, and became known as the second of head coach Fielding H. Yost 's `` Point - a-Minute '' teams. The Wolverines faced Michigan Agricultural on Wednesday, October 8, 1902, and defeated the Aggies 119 -- 0. Michigan was held on downs only once in the game, and the Aggies made only three first downs. Right halfback Albert Herrnstein ran back a kickoff the length of the field and scored seven touchdowns in the game. Willie Heston and Everett Sweeley did not play in the game, and the Detroit Free Press noted : `` The opinion is quite general that if Heston and Sweeley had been in the game the Buffalo record would have been beaten, but, as it was, Michigan was simply fagged out running down the field for touchdowns. '' The game was played in halves of 20 and 18 minutes. With 119 points in 38 minutes of play, Yost 's Point - a-Minute squad averaged 3.1 points per minute against the Aggies. After the game, The Newark Advocate wrote : `` Michigan has undoubtedly the fastest scoring team in the world, and the Ann Arbor boys play Yosts ' ' hurry up ' formations like clock work. It requires a fast team to take the ball, line up and score 119 points, even if they have no opponents in two 20 minute halves. '' 1908 After losing to the Wolverines in the first three games between the programs, the Aggies played the Wolverines to a scoreless tie on October 10, 1908. The game was played in front of 6,000 spectators at East Lansing 's College Field, and the Aggies ' fans `` went wild with delight '' when the game ended. In Ann Arbor, the result was met with disbelief among Michigan fans who had expected an easy win. The Detroit Free Press called it `` the greatest game of football ever seen in this part of the state. '' The Michigan Alumnus opined that the Wolverines were outplayed and would have been defeated had it not been for Dave Allerdice repeatedly punting out of danger. 1910s 1910. On October 15, 1910, Michigan beat Michigan Agricultural 6 -- 3 at Ferry Field. The 1910 Aggies compiled a record of 6 -- 0 and outscored opponents 165 to 2 against teams other than the Wolverines ( including a 17 -- 0 victory over Notre Dame. Prior to the Michigan game, the M.A.C. student body adopted the slogan, `` On to Michigan. '' After a scoreless first half, the Aggies blocked two punts in the third quarter. On the second occasion, the punt was blocked and rolled to Michigan 's 12 - yard line where the Aggies recovered the ball. Leon Hill kicked a field goal from the 21 - yard line, and the Aggies ' maintained a 3 -- 0 lead into the fourth quarter. With less than five minutes left in the game, Shorty McMillan completed a pass to Stanley Borleske who ran 50 yards to the Aggies ' 15 - yard line. Due to a penalty, the Wolverines had five unsuccessful chances to score the touchdown after advancing to the three - yard line. Michigan then lined up for a field goal, but the play was a fake. Don Green took the snap from center and ran for the touchdown. After the game, the referee, Ralph Hoagland, said : `` Yost has certainly taught his men some great things about the forward pass. '' 1912. In the seventh meeting, Blake Miller scored the first touchdown against Michigan in the series history. The Wolverines won 55 -- 7 at Ferry Field, scoring eight touchdowns in the game. 1913. On October 18, 1913, the Aggies secured their first victory over Michigan, 12 -- 7. Michigan Agricultural 's fullback, George E. Julian, scored two touchdowns, and Blake Miller returned a Michigan fumble 45 yards for a touchdown. One account of the game noted : `` The one great feature of the game was the accuracy of the Aggies forward passing which netted a total of 76 yards for the Farmers. '' The New York Times described the game as `` a desperate gruelling struggle. '' Miller suffered a blow to the head during the game and was hospitalized in serious condition. After the game, The Michigan Alumnus made note of the Aggies ' potential as an athletic threat : `` This victory with the football tie in 1908, and the Farmers ' clean sweep in baseball in 1912, point to the fact that M.A.C. will bear watching by Michigan. '' In the celebration following the game, two Aggies fans were arrested and jailed for `` throwing bottles about the streets '' in the early hours of Sunday morning. 1915. The Aggies won their second game against Michigan 24 -- 0. Neno DaPrato scored two touchdowns and kicked a field goal for the Aggies. The victory was the second in three years for the Aggies under head coach John Macklin. 1970s 1970 The # 12 ranked Wolverines avenged their 1969 loss to the Spartans, winning 34 -- 20 in Ann Arbor. Michigan would establish their dominance in the series with this win, creating an eight - game winning streak against the Spartans, outscoring them 202 -- 70 including consecutive shutouts in the 1972 and 1973 games. 1978 Michigan was ranked # 5 in the country when the unranked Spartans visited Ann Arbor. Michigan had won the previous eight series meetings under Bo Schembechler when Michigan State, led by QB Eddie Smith and wide receiver ( and future MLB star ) Kirk Gibson led the Spartans to a 24 -- 15 upset. Michigan State would end up sharing the Big Ten title that season with the Wolverines. 1990s 1990 `` No. One vs. No One '' was the tag line used by the Michigan faithful leading up to the 1990 meeting in Ann Arbor between the two schools. Michigan came into the game ranked # 1 in the country. With six seconds left, Elvis Grbac threw a TD pass to Derrick Alexander to make it 28 -- 27 Michigan State. Michigan coach Gary Moeller elected to go for two and the win. Desmond Howard lined for a pass and was defended by Spartan Eddie Brown. While going out for the pass Desmond became entangled with Brown, appeared to have caught the ball for a moment, before dropping it as he fell to the turf. The play was controversial since Howard got entangled with Brown on the play, but no penalty was called. The Wolverines then attempted an onside kick, which they recovered. Grbac then scrambled and threw a Hail Mary that was tipped and intercepted to end the game. Both schools ended up tied for the Big Ten title, along with Illinois and Iowa ; all four schools had identical 6 - 2 conference records. 1997 In an AP Top - 15 match up between both teams which featured ESPN College Gameday in East Lansing, the # 5 Michigan Wolverines defeated the # 15 Spartans, 23 - 7. The Wolverine defense had six interceptions, five of which came from Spartan QB Todd Schultz. One of those interceptions included a one - handed interception by eventual 1997 Heisman trophy winner Charles Woodson where he managed to get one foot in bounds on the sideline. Marcus Ray had a pair of interceptions, along with one apiece by DiAllo Johnson and Andre Weathers. Michigan would go 12 - 0 and win the national championship that season, their first since 1948. 2000s 2001 The 2001 game, also known as Clockgate, was hosted by Michigan State. U-M entered the game undefeated and ranked # 6 in the nation. With under three minutes left, the Spartans received the ball at midfield down 24 -- 20. A Michigan facemask penalty resulted in 15 yards and an automatic first down. Two plays later, the Wolverines received a penalty for 12 men on the field. Michigan State was incorrectly charged with their final timeout on that play ; the Spartans should not have been because of the U-M penalty. Instead, the final MSU timeout was exhausted. 17 seconds remained when Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker attempted to scramble for a touchdown but was stopped at the one yard line. The Spartans rushed to the line and spiked the ball with 1 second remaining on the clock. On the next play, Smoker threw a touchdown pass to T.J. Duckett to win the game 26 -- 24. Michigan coaches, players, and the ABC broadcasters argued that the clock should have expired on the play and that the timekeeper, `` Spartan Bob '' Stehlin, purposely stopped the clock before the ball was grounded. Michigan commentator Frank Beckmann speculated that Michigan State had benefited from its home field advantage, even calling the unfolding controversy `` criminal '' on the air. Beckmann 's reaction to the last - second MSU victory included stating the full name of each game official and saying the Big Ten was out of the national title picture `` because of the job that was done here by the men in the striped shirts today ''. Beckmann also referred to the last tick as `` staying on the board for an eternity '' and speculated that Dave Parry, then Big Ten coordinator of officials, would soon `` no doubt give an apology phone call to ( U-M coach ) Lloyd Carr. '' Instead, the Big Ten reviewed the video of the game and concluded that the clock operator acted appropriately. Dave Parry, the Big Ten Coordinator of officials, said `` we could find nothing that suggested a mistake had been made ''. Stehlin observed afterwards that seven different media outlets timed the play and all concluded that time remained in the ball game. Michigan would finish the season 8 - 4, making Beckmann 's complaints moot. Beckmann would publicly insist that U-M was cheated for years afterwards, prompting public speculation that Stehlin might file a lawsuit against Beckmann for slander. Instead, he publicly stated he forgave Beckmann. Nevertheless, the Big Ten changed its timekeeping policy for the 2002 season. Previously, the home team appointed an individual of their choosing to keep the official time in the pressbox. Now, time is kept on the field by a neutral official appointed by the Big Ten. 2007 The 2007 game marked Michigan 's sixth straight win over Michigan State. The Wolverines once again narrowly won with a comeback in the fourth quarter, winning 28 -- 24. Michigan quarterback Chad Henne led two touchdown drives in the final 7 : 35 of the game, completing touchdown passes to Greg Mathews and Mario Manningham, to lead the Wolverines back from a 24 -- 14 deficit. Henne finished the game with 18 completions for 211 yards and four touchdowns, while Manningham had eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Michigan running back Mike Hart called Michigan State Michigan 's `` little brother. '' `` I was just laughing, '' Hart said of Michigan State taking the lead. `` I thought it was funny. They got excited. Sometimes you get your little brother excited when you 're playing basketball, and you let him get the lead, and then you come back and take it back. '' Mark Dantonio later responded to Hart 's comment stating `` I find a lot of the things they do amusing. They need to check themselves sometimes. But just remember, pride comes before the fall... This game is an important game. So they want to mock us all they want to mock us, I 'm telling them : it 's not over. So they can print that crap all they want all over their locker room. It 's not over. It 'll never be over here. It 's just starting... I 'm going to be a coach here for a long time. It 's not over. It 's just starting. ''. 2008 The game on October 25, 2008, in Ann Arbor, was the first Michigan -- Michigan State game for new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Early in the game, Michigan scored on a pass to running back Brandon Minor, who was only able to get one foot on a pylon. The pass was initially called incomplete, but the play was reviewed and incorrectly ruled a touchdown. During halftime, ABC - TV displayed the NCAA rule on the broadcast screen and concluded that the Replay Official was incorrect in awarding the touchdown to Michigan ; ABC indicated officials on the field had been correct in originally ruling the play incomplete. The Commissioner of the Big Ten later acknowledged that the call was wrong. The two teams traded touchdowns for much of the game before the Spartans finally pulled away in the 4th quarter, winning 35 -- 21. 2010s 2012 On October 20, 2012, the Wolverines defeated the Spartans for the first time since 2007, despite not scoring a touchdown. Michigan won in Ann Arbor 12 -- 10 to earn back the Paul Bunyan Trophy. At 10 : 20 in the second quarter, Brendan Gibbons kicked a FG to put Michigan up 3 -- 0. With 5 : 03 left, MSU kicker Dan Conroy missed a 38 - yard FG attempt. With 1 : 07 left in the first half, Matt Wile made a 48 - yard FG to make the score 6 -- 0 Michigan at halftime. MSU quickly scored a touchdown in their first possession of the second half to go up 7 -- 6. Michigan kicked a third field goal at 13 : 37 in the fourth quarter to go up 9 -- 7. It appeared that Michigan had MSU stopped towards the end of the fourth by forcing them into a fourth and 9 on their own 30, however the Spartans ran a fake punt and advanced the ball almost to midfield on their way to scoring three more points to go up 10 -- 9. Michigan got the ball back and drove all the way into MSU territory only to be stopped and punt the ball away with 4 minutes left. The Michigan defense forced a three - and - out and they got the ball back at their own 39 with 2 : 11 left. Denard Robinson completed a 20 - yard pass on fourth down to advance Michigan to the MSU 25 yard line and with 9 seconds left Michigan spiked the ball. Brendan Gibbons lined up to kick the game - winning field goal and was iced by Mark Dantonio. Gibbons lined back up and split the uprights to win it for Michigan, 12 -- 10. After the game, the students rushed the field in celebration. This was the 900th all - time win for the Wolverines, making them the first program to reach this level in college football history. 2015 October 17, 2015 : the game was played in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2012. The # 12 Wolverines, led by first - year coach Jim Harbaugh, entered the game 5 -- 1. The # 7 Spartans came into the game 6 -- 0. This was the first meeting of coaches Mark Dantonio and Harbaugh. Michigan scored first and never trailed all the way until the final play of the game. Late in the 4th quarter, with the Wolverines leading 23 - 21, Michigan State drove into field goal range, but a sack pushed them outside the 40. They failed to convert on 4th and long, giving Michigan the ball and seemingly the victory. However, with 10 seconds left in the game, Michigan was faced with a 4th and short and decided to punt. Michigan State pressured with all 11 defenders while Michigan sent players downfield to cover the punt. The numeric mismatch on the line allowed easy penetration while the Wolverine center quick snapped a low ball bobbled by the punter. The ball was caught by Spartan Jalen Watts - Jackson, and he ran the ball in 38 yards for a touchdown. Michigan State did not lead at any point in the game until time expired, but they out gained Michigan in the contest 386 to 230 yards. 2017 October 7, 2017 : For the first time in 109 meetings, Michigan and Michigan State would meet for a night game for the 110th meeting. The game was held in Ann Arbor at the Big House at 7 : 30 PM on ABC, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. Michigan came into the game as # 7 in the AP Poll at 4 - 0 on the season. The Michigan State Spartans came into the game unranked at 3 - 1 on the season, only loss at that point was to Notre Dame in East Lansing. Michigan was 3 - 0 in Night Games at Michigan Stadium at the time. In the first quarter, Michigan would take the lead on a 30 - yard field goal by Quinn Nordin to make the score 3 to 0. Michigan State would then score on a 14 - yard touchdown run by Brian Lewerke. The score was 7 to 3, Spartans with the lead. In the Second Quarter, Michigan State would score again on a 16 - yard pass to Madre London from Brian Lewerke, to make the score 14 - 3 Spartans at halftime, leading in Ann Arbor. Towards the middle of the third quarter, it began to rain in Ann Arbor. Strong winds and heavy rain affected the game in the third quarter, making it even more difficult for the offensively challenged teams to move the ball. Tornado warnings were issued throughout lower Michigan but did not affect the game. No Delays. Middle of the third quarter Khalid Hill ran in a 1 - yard touchdown for Michigan, cutting the Spartans lead to 4. The score was 14 to 10. Throughout that game Michigan turned over the ball 5 times ( 2 fumbles, 3 interceptions ) to the Spartans zero turnovers. In that game Michigan had one the time of possession and total yardage with 300 yards. With 30 seconds left in the game Michigan had the ball at the Michigan 35 yard line. A dropped pass that would have set Michigan up at the MSU 30 yard line or so left Michigan at the 50 yard line. Seconds later a Pass that was complete set Michigan up at the MSU 37 yard line with 1 second to go. Michigan would then try a Hail Mary that failed giving the Spartans an Upset win at the Big House in Ann Arbor, 14 - 10. The win marked the 8th win in the last 10 games against Michigan. Michigan failed miserably on offense throughout that game. Michigan would drop to 17th in AP Poll the following week and the Spartans would join the rankings. Accomplishments by the two rivals Team Michigan Michigan State National titles 11 6 Bowl appearances 45 26 CFP appearances 0 Postseason bowl record 21 -- 24 11 -- 15 Rose Bowl appearances 20 5 Rose Bowl wins 8 Big Ten titles 42 9 Big Ten Championship Game appearances 0 Big Ten Championship Game wins 0 Big Ten Division titles 0 Consensus All - Americans 81 31 Heisman Trophies 0 All - time program record 935 -- 334 -- 36 679 -- 449 -- 44 All - time win percentage. 730. 598 Game results Michigan victories Michigan State victories Tie games No. Date Location Winner Score 1898 Ann Arbor Michigan 39 -- 2 1902 Ann Arbor Michigan 119 -- 0 1907 Ann Arbor Michigan 46 -- 0 1908 East Lansing Tie 0 -- 0 5 1910 Ann Arbor Michigan 6 -- 3 6 1911 East Lansing Michigan 15 -- 3 7 1912 Ann Arbor Michigan 55 -- 7 8 1913 Ann Arbor Michigan Agricultural 12 -- 7 9 1914 East Lansing Michigan 3 -- 0 10 1915 Ann Arbor Michigan Agricultural 24 -- 0 11 1916 Ann Arbor Michigan 9 -- 0 12 1917 Ann Arbor Michigan 27 -- 0 13 1918 Ann Arbor Michigan 21 -- 6 14 1919 Ann Arbor Michigan 26 -- 0 15 1920 Ann Arbor Michigan 35 -- 0 16 1921 Ann Arbor Michigan 30 -- 0 17 1922 Ann Arbor Michigan 63 -- 0 18 1923 Ann Arbor Michigan 37 -- 0 19 1924 East Lansing Michigan 7 -- 0 20 1925 Ann Arbor Michigan 39 -- 0 21 1926 Ann Arbor Michigan 55 -- 3 22 1927 Ann Arbor Michigan 21 -- 0 23 1928 Ann Arbor Michigan 3 -- 0 24 1929 Ann Arbor Michigan 17 -- 0 25 1930 Ann Arbor Tie 0 -- 0 26 1931 Ann Arbor Tie 0 -- 0 27 1932 Ann Arbor Michigan 26 -- 0 28 1933 Ann Arbor Michigan 20 -- 6 29 1934 Ann Arbor Michigan State 16 -- 0 30 1935 Ann Arbor Michigan State 25 -- 6 31 1936 Ann Arbor Michigan State 21 -- 7 32 1937 Ann Arbor Michigan State 19 -- 14 33 1938 Ann Arbor Michigan 14 -- 0 34 1939 Ann Arbor Michigan 26 -- 13 35 1940 Ann Arbor Michigan 21 -- 14 36 1941 Ann Arbor Michigan 19 -- 7 37 1942 Ann Arbor Michigan 20 -- 0 38 1945 Ann Arbor Michigan 40 -- 0 39 1946 Ann Arbor No. 11 Michigan 55 -- 7 40 1947 Ann Arbor Michigan 55 -- 0 41 1948 East Lansing Michigan 13 -- 7 42 1949 Ann Arbor Michigan 7 -- 3 43 1950 Ann Arbor No. 19 Michigan State 14 -- 7 44 1951 Ann Arbor No. 2 Michigan State 25 -- 0 45 1952 Ann Arbor No. 1 Michigan State 27 -- 13 46 1953 East Lansing No. 4 Michigan State 14 -- 6 47 1954 Ann Arbor No. 20 Michigan 33 -- 7 48 1955 Ann Arbor No. 2 Michigan 14 -- 7 49 1956 Ann Arbor No. 2 Michigan State 9 -- 0 50 1957 Ann Arbor No. 2 Michigan State 35 -- 6 51 1958 East Lansing Tie 12 -- 12 52 1959 Ann Arbor Michigan State 34 -- 8 53 1960 East Lansing No. 13 Michigan State 24 -- 17 54 1961 Ann Arbor No. 2 Michigan State 28 -- 0 55 1962 East Lansing Michigan State 28 -- 0 56 1963 Ann Arbor Tie 7 -- 7 No. Date Location Winner Score 57 1964 East Lansing No. 4 Michigan 17 -- 10 58 1965 Ann Arbor No. 4 Michigan State 24 -- 7 59 1966 East Lansing No. 1 Michigan State 20 -- 7 60 1967 Ann Arbor Michigan State 34 -- 0 61 1968 Ann Arbor Michigan 28 -- 14 62 1969 East Lansing Michigan State 23 -- 12 63 1970 Ann Arbor No. 6 Michigan 34 -- 20 64 1971 East Lansing No. 2 Michigan 24 -- 13 65 1972 Ann Arbor No. 5 Michigan 10 -- 0 66 1973 East Lansing No. 5 Michigan 31 -- 0 67 Ann Arbor No. 4 Michigan 21 -- 7 68 East Lansing No. 8 Michigan 16 -- 6 69 1976 Ann Arbor No. 1 Michigan 42 -- 10 70 1977 East Lansing No. 3 Michigan 24 -- 14 71 1978 Ann Arbor Michigan State 24 -- 15 72 1979 East Lansing No. 11 Michigan 21 -- 7 73 1980 Ann Arbor Michigan 27 -- 23 74 1981 East Lansing No. 6 Michigan 38 -- 20 75 1982 Ann Arbor Michigan 31 -- 17 76 East Lansing No. 14 Michigan 42 -- 0 77 1984 Ann Arbor Michigan State 19 -- 7 78 1985 East Lansing No. 3 Michigan 31 -- 0 79 1986 Ann Arbor No. 4 Michigan 27 -- 6 80 East Lansing Michigan State 17 -- 11 81 1988 Ann Arbor No. 17 Michigan 17 -- 3 82 1989 East Lansing No. 5 Michigan 10 -- 7 83 1990 Ann Arbor Michigan State 28 -- 27 84 1991 East Lansing No. 5 Michigan 45 -- 28 85 1992 Ann Arbor No. 3 Michigan 35 -- 10 86 1993 East Lansing Michigan State 17 -- 7 87 1994 Ann Arbor No. 9 Michigan 40 -- 20 88 1995 East Lansing Michigan State 28 -- 25 89 Ann Arbor No. 9 Michigan 45 -- 29 90 1997 East Lansing No. 5 Michigan 23 -- 7 91 1998 Ann Arbor Michigan 29 -- 17 92 1999 East Lansing No. 11 Michigan State 34 -- 31 93 2000 Ann Arbor No. 16 Michigan 14 -- 0 94 2001 East Lansing Michigan State 26 -- 24 95 2002 Ann Arbor No. 15 Michigan 49 -- 3 96 2003 East Lansing No. 13 Michigan 27 -- 20 97 Ann Arbor No. 14 Michigan 45 -- 37 98 2005 East Lansing Michigan 34 -- 31 99 2006 Ann Arbor No. 6 Michigan 31 -- 13 100 2007 East Lansing No. 14 Michigan 28 -- 24 101 2008 Ann Arbor Michigan State 35 -- 21 102 2009 East Lansing Michigan State 26 -- 20 103 Ann Arbor No. 17 Michigan State 34 -- 17 104 2011 East Lansing No. 23 Michigan State 28 -- 14 105 2012 Ann Arbor No. 23 Michigan 12 -- 10 106 2013 East Lansing No. 22 Michigan State 29 -- 6 107 2014 East Lansing No. 8 Michigan State 35 -- 11 108 2015 Ann Arbor No. 7 Michigan State 27 -- 23 109 2016 East Lansing No. 2 Michigan 32 -- 23 110 2017 Ann Arbor Michigan State 14 -- 10 Series : Michigan leads 69 -- 36 -- 5 See also Michigan -- Michigan State men 's basketball rivalry Michigan -- Michigan State men 's ice hockey rivalry Michigan -- Michigan State men 's soccer rivalry Most - played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBS References Jump up ^ https://msu.edu/about/thisismsu/thenandnow.html Jump up ^ `` Michigan State vs Michigan ''. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 22. Jump up ^ Doug Hills ( 2012 ). `` Through the Years : The Paul Bunyan Trophy ''. Maize and Blue News. Retrieved July 31, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Trophy has a history as big as its namesake, Retrieved 6 - 15 - 2014. Jump up ^ `` Football ''. The Michigan Alumnus. November 1898. p. 60. ( `` The feature of the game was a place kick for goal made by Keena from the 23 - yard line. '' ) Jump up ^ `` Good Scores Rolled Up : Michigan Practiced on the M.A.C. for a Fair Total ''. Detroit Free Press. October 13, 1898. p. 6. Jump up ^ Steve Grinczel. `` Michigan State Football, pp. 7 - 8 ''. ^ Jump up to : `` Michigan made 119 points : Almost equaled phenomenal score against Buffalo simply rushed ball over the Aggie 's line at Will made touchdown oftener than once in two minutes ''. Detroit Free Press. October 9, 1902. Jump up ^ Yost 's Wolverines had set a scoring record in 1901, outscoring Buffalo, 128 -- 0. Jump up ^ `` Wednesday 's Football Results ''. 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Jump up ^ `` '' On to Michigan '' Is M.A.C. Slogan : About Five Hundred Rooters Will Accompany Team to Ann Arbor Saturday ; Annual Battle Is Talk of Campus at Lansing ; With Practically Green Squad Brewer 's Team Must Face Yost 's Seasoned Veterans ``. Detroit Free Press. October 9, 1910. p. B7. ^ Jump up to : `` Michigan Wins, 6 -- 3 : Aggies Give Yost 's Men Hardest Kind of Battle, Leading at End of Third Period, by Virtue of Hill 's Field Goal ; Varsity 's Touchdown Comes in Last Quarter ; Forward Pass to Borleske and Long Run Bring Ball to One Yard Line, Where M.A.C. Makes Gamest Kind of Fight ''. Detroit Free Press. October 16, 1910. p. 15. ^ Jump up to : `` Michigan 6 ; M.A.C. 3 ''. The Michigan Alumnus. November 1910. pp. 93 -- 94. Jump up ^ `` Yost 's Men Run Up High Score Against Aggies : Michigan Wins Annual Contest 55 to 7 -- Intercepted Forward Pass and 85 - Yard Run by B. Miller Gives M.A.C. Only Chance to Count ; First Period All Farmers ; Are Even at End of Second ; Wolverines Fail to Get Started Until Game Is Half Over -- Both Teams Use Open Style Play -- Torbet Shows Well ''. Detroit Free Press. October 13, 1912. p. 17. Jump up ^ `` Michigan, 55 ; M.A.C., 7 ''. The Michigan Alumnus. November 1912. p. 83. Jump up ^ `` M.A.C., 12 ; Michigan 7 ''. The Michigan Alumnus. November 1913. p. 98. Jump up ^ `` Michigan Suffers Defeat : State Agricultural Team Outplays University Men, 12 to 7 ''. The New York Times. October 19, 1913. Jump up ^ `` Michigan A.C. Player Injured ''. The New York Times. October 19, 1913. Jump up ^ `` Michigan 's Team -- A General View ''. The Michigan Alumnus. November 1913. pp. 96 -- 97. Jump up ^ `` Bottle Hurlers Jailed : Aggies ' Victory Celebration Disastrous to Two Young Men ''. Detroit Free Press. October 20, 1913. Jump up ^ `` Aggies, 24 ; Michigan, 0 ''. Fort Wayne Journal - Gazette. October 24, 1915. p. 33. 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Retrieved 26 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` MSU football : 10 years later, ' Spartan Bob ' at peace ''. Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 26 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Definitive proof that time expired before MSU 's miracle, and why it does n't matter ''. Deadspin. Jump up ^ `` MGOBLUE.COM U-M Uses Fourth - Quarter Comeback to Defeat Spartans - University of Michigan Official Athletic Site ''. Mgoblue.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` MGOBLUE.COM Boxscore : # 15 Michigan 28, Michigan State 24 - University of Michigan Official Athletic Site ''. Mgoblue.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Mark Dantonio MSU - `` Pride Comes Before The Fall '' ``. Retrieved May 27, 2010. Jump up ^ Report : Delany says officials mistakenly awarded TD to Michigan October 27, 2008 Jump up ^ `` 10 / 25 / 2008 - Michigan State 35 Michigan 21 - Highlights ''. YouTube. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 02. Jump up ^ `` Mark Dantonio gave Michigan State 's miracle play a name ''. Fox Sports ( United States ). 21st Century Fox. October 20, 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015. Jump up ^ Russo, Ralph D ( October 18, 2015 ). `` Playoff Pulse : Michigan State miracle ; Alabama rising ''. Business Insider. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved 18 October 2015. Jump up ^ Charboneau, Matt ( October 20, 2015 ). `` Dantonio dubs final play ' Rangers : Mission 4 : 10 ' ''. Detroit News. Retrieved 20 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Michigan Wolverines Index ''. Sports-References.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michigan State Spartans Index ''. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` NCAA Football Championship History ''. NCAA.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michigan Bowl History ''. CollegeFootballPoll.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michigan State Bowl History ''. CollegeFootballPoll.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Divisional Rankings ''. ESPN.go.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michigan Wolverines All - America Selections ''. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Michigan State All - America Selections ''. Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Past Heisman Trophy Winners ''. NationalChamps.net. Retrieved 18 November 2014. External links Media related to Michigan -- Michigan State football rivalry at Wikimedia Commons Michigan -- Michigan State Series History MGoBlue 's Paul Bunyan Trophy page Michigan Wolverines football Venues Washtenaw County Fairgrounds ( 1883 -- 1892 ) Regents Field ( 1893 -- 1905 ) Ferry Field ( 1906 -- 1926 ) Michigan Stadium ( 1927 -- present ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Chicago ( defunct ) Michigan State ( Paul Bunyan Trophy ) Minnesota ( Little Brown Jug ) Notre Dame Ohio State ( The Ten Year War ) Illinois Culture & lore Early years Yost era Kipke years Crisler years Oosterbaan years Elliott years The Ten Year War Snow Bowl 1969 Ohio State game 1973 Ohio State game Miracle at Michigan 2006 Ohio State game 2007 Appalachian State game Biff `` The Victors '' Marching band People Head coaches Trainers Players All - Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders Seasons 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 National championship seasons in bold Michigan State Spartans football Venues Old College Field ( 1902 -- 1922 ) Spartan Stadium ( 1923 -- present ) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Indiana ( Old Brass Spittoon ) Michigan ( Paul Bunyan Trophy ) Notre Dame ( Megaphone Trophy ) Ohio St. Penn State ( Land Grant Trophy ) Culture & lore Sparty `` Victory for MSU '' Marching band Zeke the Wonder Dog Winged football helmet 1966 `` Game of the Century '' Clockgate 2006 Northwestern game People Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees Seasons 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 National championship seasons in bold Links to related articles Big Ten Conference football rivalries Conference Illinois -- Michigan Illinois -- Northwestern Illinois -- Ohio State Illinois -- Purdue Indiana -- Michigan State Indiana -- Purdue Iowa -- Minnesota Iowa -- Nebraska Iowa -- Wisconsin Maryland -- Penn State Maryland -- Rutgers Michigan -- Michigan State Michigan -- Minnesota Michigan -- Ohio State Michigan State -- Penn State Minnesota -- Nebraska Minnesota -- Penn State Minnesota -- Wisconsin Nebraska -- Wisconsin Ohio State -- Penn State Non-conference Alabama -- Penn State Chicago -- Michigan Chicago -- Purdue Colorado -- Nebraska Illinois -- Missouri Indiana -- Kentucky Iowa -- Iowa State Johns Hopkins -- Maryland Kansas -- Nebraska Maryland -- Navy Maryland -- Virginia Maryland -- West Virginia Miami -- Nebraska Michigan State -- Notre Dame Michigan -- Notre Dame Missouri -- Nebraska Nebraska -- Oklahoma Nebraska -- Texas Northwestern -- Notre Dame Notre Dame -- Purdue Penn State -- Pittsburgh Penn State -- Syracuse Penn State -- West Virginia Michigan Wolverines rivalries Football Illinois Michigan State Minnesota Notre Dame Ohio State Chicago ( defunct ) Basketball Duke Michigan State Other Michigan State ( hockey ) Michigan State ( soccer ) Michigan State Spartans rivalries Football Indiana Michigan Notre Dame Penn State Basketball Michigan Other Michigan ( hockey ) Michigan ( soccer ) Paul Bunyan Film Paul Bunyan ( 1958 ) Bunyan and Babe ( 2017 ) Music Axe Giant : Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ( soundtrack ) Paul Bunyan ( operetta ) Art Statues of Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Portland, Oregon Paul Bunyan Land Literature Ol ' Paul, the Mighty Logger Related Paul Bunyan in popular culture `` Simpsons Tall Tales '' Paul Bunyan 's Axe Paul Bunyan Trophy Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michigan -- Michigan_State_football_rivalry&oldid = 808886278 '' Categories : College football rivalries in the United States Michigan Wolverines football Michigan State Spartans football Big Ten Conference rivalries 1898 establishments in Michigan Hidden categories : Commons category with page title different than on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 5 November 2017, at 20 : 40. 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Question: who has a better record michigan or michigan state
Answer: Michigan