The Paul Bunyan Trophy is back up for grabs Saturday night.
That’s when Michigan and Michigan State will play the 118th edition of their rivalry football game in East Lansing.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about all that and more from the world of sports.
Football this weekend:
Michigan at Michigan State - Sat., 7:30 p.m.
Detroit Lions - Off (bye week)
Doug Tribou: Michigan State will host Michigan Saturday night at Spartan stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 Saturday night. The Wolverines have won the last three matchups with the Spartans. What do you like about this particular rivalry?
John U. Bacon: It should be a national rivalry. It's underrated, frankly. It's a fantastic rivalry back and forth. No one is better at upsetting Michigan, by the way, than Michigan State, historically. And it's not even close. For the players, it's a very bitter rivalry. But Michigan and Michigan State [fans], they get along surprisingly well.
DT: Who needs this game more this year? A Michigan team that's trying to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive or an MSU team that's hearing some calls for a coaching change after a 3-4 start, with zero wins so far against Big Ten opponents?
JUB: I would say Michigan State Coach [Jonathan] Smith, for that reason — because otherwise he's fighting for his job. But man, if Sherrone Moore of Michigan loses this game, he's fighting for his job. So I'd say the stakes are pretty high.
DT: The Pistons opened their season this week with a four-point loss to the Chicago Bulls. Detroit is coming off one of the team's best seasons in years. It ended with a trip to the playoffs. Cade Cunningham [is] also coming off his first All-Star season. What is your view of this window of opportunity for the Pistons?
JUB: Well, they're going in the right direction certainly, but they need another big-time player or two. That's up to the owners of course. But under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff they've done a phenomenal job. He's taught them how to play defense. That is not popular in the NBA, Doug. Agents don't like their players playing defense. You don't get money for playing defense. So what he's done is really spectacular. And as long as he's the coach you've got a chance.
DT: The Red Wings have won more than they've lost so far this season, although they got blown out on Thursday night. They're 5-3. This is the first full season — or in theory, it will be — for coach Todd McLellan, who took over midseason in the last campaign. Your thoughts on the early goings for the Wings, John?
JUB: I would say mostly positive. Captain Dylan Larkin and general manager Steve Yzerman had a bit of a spat in public in the off season about getting more players, but they're clearly playing for McLellan. The problem is the owner, Chris Ilitch. And if that sounds familiar, he's also the owner of the Detroit Tigers. And in both cases, he's not paying money for trades.
DT: One of the traits of many of the best NFL teams is their ability to win after a loss and, in turn, avoid a losing streak. The Lions did that with a solid victory over Tampa Bay on Monday night. The Bucs were 5-1 coming into that game. What's your assessment of this year's Lions as they get ready to enjoy a weekend off for their bye week?
JUB: Well, you hit the nail on the head. In the NFL you're not going to go undefeated. So how do you recover after a tough loss? This team has done it a few times by now. The question in the offseason after head coach Dan Campbell had lost his offensive coordinator and his defensive coordinator was: Were they the key or was he the key? Well, it turns out the coaching success of the Lions is due to their head coach, Dan Campbell. This has been proven.
DT: A few weeks ago, as I mentioned here on Michigan Public with you, I was at the Zach Bryant concert at the Big House and a "Jared Goff" chant broke out between songs. Monday night of this week, I saw Mumford & Sons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit while the Lions were playing a few blocks away at Ford Field. And Marcus Mumford was giving Lions score updates throughout the show. And again, I was at an event where the crowd was chanting the name of Detroit's quarterback... while he wasn't there. So I think the rule of thumb here is instead of checking the standings week to week before we talk, I'm just going to keep buying concert tickets.
JUB: [Laughs] That's how you have to cover this team. Doug, you're doing a great job.
DT: [Laughs] Well, John, thanks a lot. Have a good weekend.
JUB: Doug, thank you.
Editor's notes: Quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
