Rich Rodriguez Gets His First Crack At The Backyard Brawl

Michigan State Spartans (6-2, 3-1) at Michigan Wolverines (2-5, 1-2) Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST at Michigan Stadium Line: Michigan State -4 Enough with all the trash talk, let's get the 101st version of the Backyard Brawl going and we have a newcomer this year in first year Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. This does not bode well for the Wolverines as only one newcomer has won this game and it was Nick Saban in 1995 when both Saban and Lloyd Carr were rookie coaches so someone had to win. But Rodriguez and current Spartans coach Mark Dantonio have squared off before when both were coaches in the Big East. Rodriguez won both matches in '05 and '06 in decided fashion dominating the Cincinnati Bearcats. Rodriguez seems to have embraced the rivalry in newspaper reports going so far as to say that "you'd have to be clueless to not understand the rivalry." It's going to be tough this year even though Michigan holds a six game winning streak over MSU. Like I've been saying the past couple ... (link)