Michigan, Michigan State Researchers to Collect Urine from Fans for 'Piss Off' at CFB Rivalry Game

The rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State is extending Saturday from the football field to portable toilets.

Wastewater researchers are encouraging fans who stand to pee to donate urine in the name of either the Wolverines or Spartans as part of a competitive drive the program is calling "The Piss Off," the two programs announced Wednesday.

All urine will be collected at Ann Arbor Golf Club starting on game day at 1 p.m. ET. Michigan and MSU researchers will then turn the collection into horticultural fertilizer in a process the researchers term "peecycling."

The fertilizer will ultimately be used on horticultural crops at both Michigan and Michigan State, according to the programs.

Making this drive part of the Michigan-MSU rivalry was inspired by a competition previously run by a non-profit in Vermont, which encouraged donors to race to donate the most urine.

Michigan noted this marks the "first stadium-scale pilot" for the university's NEWtrient Recovery Facility, which features urine processing technology working to turn wastewater into usable fertilizer.

The process involves pasteurization and concentration of the urine, from which nutrients are isolated and turned into pellets before being blended into fertilizer certified by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, according to the program.

Michigan is heading into this weekend's home game riding a four-game victory streak dating back to 2022. Michigan State will look to earn its first win in Ann Arbor since 2020 when the rivalry matchup kicks off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.