The Michigan-Michigan State college football rivalry has not been as competitive recently, but the Spartans will be in better shape for that game than they have been all season. Jonathan Smith's team will be as close to fully healthy in Week 9 with left tackle Stanton Ramil and safety Nikai Martinez returning to the lineup.
Ramil and Martinez were both confirmed to return on gameday morning, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. Neither player has taken the field since Sept. 20, when Michigan State suffered a 45-31 loss to USC on the road.
Both absences have been felt by the team. Without Ramil, Michigan State has struggled to protect Aidan Chiles, who has taken the fourth-most sacks in the Big Ten with 18 through seven games.
Martinez's absence has also been felt on the back end, as the Spartans are currently allowing 251.4 passing yards per game, the second-most in the Big Ten. Although Martinez is not officially a team captain, he is one of Smith's clear defensive leaders as the most experienced player in the secondary.
The Spartans can only hope that having both players back in their lineup will give them a spark. Michigan State got off to a 3-0 start with wins over Youngstown State, Boston College and Western Michigan, but it enters Week 9 on a four-game skid.
Michigan State looks to snap losing streak against Michigan
Entering the 2025 matchup, Michigan State has not beaten its in-state rival since 2021, when the then-No. 8-ranked Spartans pulled off a 37-33 upset at home. The last time the teams met in East Lansing, Michigan left with a dominant 49-0 victory.
Snapping the three-game losing streak will be difficult, particularly with all the momentum against the Spartans. Under second-year head coach Smith, Michigan State is just 3-10 against Big Ten opponents entering Week 9.
Regardless of the recent lopsided results, the Wolverines remain Michigan State's biggest college football rival. The Spartans also have a long history with Penn State, but there is no team they despise more than the one from Ann Arbor.
