College Football: 25 most underappreciated team rivalries of all time

14. Michigan Wolverines vs. Michigan State Spartans

When you think of the Michigan Wolverines‘ rivalries in college football, the first thought is rightfully about The Game against Ohio State. Of course, that rivalry is far from underappreciated and, instead, is one of the most celebrated games in the country every year.

However, the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy between Michigan and the Michigan State Spartans is a rivalry that is less heralded but deserves plenty of respect still.

The Wolverines and Spartans have met 111 times in the history of their programs, first playing one another in 1898. Furthermore, the two teams have played every year since 1910 except for 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.

Overall, Michigan has been a dominant force in the rivalry, winning 70 of the 111 meetings and tying in five other matchups. However, that’s a bit misleading for modern history.

As Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1950 (and the Paul Bunyan Trophy’s inception was in 1953), the two teams have been much more evenly matched. The Wolverines still hold the edge, but by a much slimmer margin, as they’ve gone 37-30-2 in this rivalry game over that time.

With a great trophy and great history, this is a rivalry game that deserves more national respect than it often gets. Again, that’s largely due to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry and being in the shadow of that. But don’t ever sleep on Michigan-Michigan State, as it’s a game that almost always delivers the goods in terms of quality and drama.