The Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines will renew their long-standing rivalry Saturday night. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

For many fans on both sides of the rivalry, rooting for Michigan or Michigan State was not a matter of choice. They owe their fandom to family members, place of birth, cultural surroundings, even destiny.

When a rivalry runs that deep, switching allegiances isn't supposed to be easy. And for Jaden Mangham, it wasn't. After starting at safety for the Spartans in 2023, Mangham decided to enter the transfer portal after the firing of coach Mel Tucker. As he surveyed his options, he found himself at the nexus of Michigan's two biggest rivalries.

"There was a new staff coming into MSU, so me and my family just felt it was best for me to take a step back and look for different schools," Mangham said. "I was looking at Nebraska and then, uh, I won't say the other school."

That other school was Ohio State. Ultimately, Mangham, a native of Birmingham, Mich., decided playing for the Wolverines offered him the best path to the NFL. That plan took a detour when he missed most of last season with an undisclosed injury. Now that he's healthy, he's no longer the forgotten man in Michigan's secondary.

Mangham started at safety last week against Washington while safeties Rod Moore and Brandyn Hillman watched from the sidelines. Saturday, he'll make his first trip back to East Lansing since trading his Spartan helmet for a winged one. Mangham knew he'd get grief from fans when he decided to sign with Michigan State's biggest rival, so that part won't be new.

"I knew what was going to come with it," Mangham said. "I knew what people were going to say. It really didn't matter at the end of the day."

What matters is the rivalry, for a whole host of reasons: bragging rights, in-state recruiting, the big-picture aspirations of both programs and the approval ratings of both head coaches. While No. 25 Michigan (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) has run hot and cold this year, the Spartans are flatlining at 0-4 in the Big Ten and 3-4 overall. An undertone of desperation runs through the buildup to Saturday night's game at Spartan Stadium.

"It's a very important, meaningful game," Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said. "That creates a huge opportunity for us, especially where we're at with things. This season hasn't gone our way. I think it comes at a good time to galvanize this group."

Here are five storylines leading into the 118th installment of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.

This game lacks the national implications it's had in years past, but there's still plenty at stake for the two second-year head coaches. Smith really could use a win against Michigan, and the last thing Sherrone Moore needs is a loss to the Spartans. The upside for Michigan State and the downside for Michigan ensure this game won't lose its edge.

"Records do not matter in this game," Moore said. "You can't look at the past. We're going to get everything they've got. We're going to get their best."

The Spartans have lost eight of their last 10 conference games after beating Maryland in Smith's Big Ten debut. A 32-20 win against Iowa in 2024 is the closest Smith has come to a signature win since leaving Oregon State for East Lansing two years ago. Michigan State has given up 38 points or more in all four conference games this year, including back-to-back 38-13 losses to UCLA and Indiana.

Smith is earning $7.35 million this year with a reported buyout of $33 million, according to USA Today's salary database. Whatever their thoughts on the state of the program, Michigan State fans are united in their desire to beat Michigan.

"This is by far the No. 1 topic that comes up with fans," Smith said.

After a humbling loss at USC, the Wolverines got their season back on track by beating Washington last week. For the second week in a row, Moore showed up to his Monday news conference wearing his custom mechanic's jacket, which is given to coaches and players after their second road win.

Michigan fans had fun with the jacket last week, creating internet memes of Moore dressed as an astronaut, an airline pilot, a doctor and other professions. Moore claimed not to have seen the memes, but he's happy to play along if it means the Wolverines are winning.

"Guess it works, huh?" Moore said, patting the jacket.

What happens after the game and after the whistle is as much a part of this rivalry as what happens on the field. The 2022 game was marred by the infamous altercation in the Michigan Stadium tunnel that resulted in fines for both programs and criminal charges for seven Spartans. One player, Khary Crump, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and other players had charges dismissed after entering diversion programs.

The 2023 game had no on-field drama, but it was played in the shadow of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing investigation, which became public after the Big Ten informed Michigan State of the allegations a few days before kickoff. The Wolverines and Spartans engaged in a brief postgame scuffle last year that prompted a review from the Big Ten but no public discipline.

The rivalry seems to have mellowed a bit since it boiled over in 2022, but coaches recognize it can heat up at any moment. That's why both said they will be emphasizing discipline this week.

"You're not going to win the game talking," Moore said. "You're not going to win the game with all the extra stuff. (There's) a conscious effort on attacking what we need to attack to win the football game. The fans, the crowd, players talking, people talking -- that doesn't matter."

Players from Michigan need no introductions to this rivalry. That's true of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, who will be making his first start against the Spartans.

"Him being from Michigan, he's gotten to experience it more years than I have," tight end Max Bredeson said. "He definitely knows what the rivalry's about."

Michigan State recruited Underwood when he was at Belleville High School, but the Spartans weren't among his finalists when he committed to LSU in January 2024. Teams have had varying degrees of success in rattling him, particularly in his three starts on the road, where his passing numbers have dropped by nearly 100 yards per game. Underwood will likely get Michigan State's full attention, both on the field and from the stands.

"I think he knows just as much as us how big this is," left guard Giovanni El-Hadi said. "We know how Michigan State is. They're going to come at him, but we've got to protect him and don't let them touch him."

Left tackle Blake Frazier, the player responsible for protecting Underwood's blind side, will be making his first start after stepping in for an injured Evan Link last week. As the son of former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Frazier, he's steeped in the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry. The responsibility of keeping Underwood's jersey clean isn't lost on him.

"I think it makes me play better," Frazier said. "Having that pressure of (knowing) I'm in charge of this guy's blind side is something that I pride myself on."

The Wolverines are facing another mobile quarterback in Aidan Chiles, another top-flight wide receiver in Nick Marsh and another offense that's likely to attack them with screen passes. The Wolverines faced similar challenges against USC and Washington with vastly different results. On the heels of a defensive collapse against the Trojans, the Wolverines corrected many of their most glaring problems in a 24-7 win against the Huskies. They expect Michigan State to test many of the same pressure points.

"We're going to get screens the rest of the year," defensive tackle Tré Williams said. "After we put on tape what we put on tape against USC, any offense would be stupid not to run screens against us."

The Wolverines are used to seeing screen passes as a way to take advantage of their aggressive pass rush. USC exploited that to great effect. Chiles isn't on the same tier as Jayden Maiava or Demond Williams Jr., the quarterbacks Michigan faced the last two weeks, but he's elusive enough to make plays outside the pocket. The Wolverines also have to keep tabs on Marsh, who has five touchdown receptions.

"Chiles is a really good quarterback," Moore said. "He's created some explosive plays with his legs, too. He's not as twitchy as Williams was, but he definitely can make those plays with his legs. He does a good job with play-action and things in the pocket, rolling out. We've got to do a good job of containing him."

This is the week when hallways of Michigan high schools are filled with green and blue. Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy saw that firsthand when he was the coach at West Bloomfield High School.

"You knew it, being in the building, by the sweatshirts, the attire that the kids wore," Bellamy said.

With recruiting becoming increasingly national, Michigan and Michigan State have fewer true head-to-head battles for in-state players. That's reflected in Michigan's 2026 recruiting class, which features zero in-state commitments.

This cycle aside, Michigan and Michigan State are going to be battling for quite a few local prospects in the years to come. Wide receiver Dakota Guerrant, a top-100 prospect from Harper Woods, and four-star edge rusher Recarder Kitchen from Muskegon headline the class of 2027. The class of 2028 is already heating up with quarterback Donald Tabron II from Cass Tech, wide receiver Deandre Bidden from Harper Woods and edge Jayden Bell from Brother Rice.

Most players aren't basing their decisions on the outcome of this game, but that doesn't mean it's irrelevant. Bellamy could measure the impact by the amount of Michigan State gear he saw during Mark Dantonio's heyday with the Spartans.

"The kids are going to rep whoever's winning," Bellamy said. "It's a big deal in our state (to be) state champs. You live with it 365 days. Our kids know it, and we take pride in it."

Five Michigan-Michigan State storylines, from recruiting wars to potential drama