ESPN College GameDay 2015: TV Schedule, Predictions and Location for Week 7

Welcome back to the national stage, Michigan Wolverines.

It took coach Jim Harbaugh all of six games to revive his alma mater, and now the Maize and Blue have a golden opportunity to skyrocket up the national polls with a home victory over their archrivals from East Lansing. Michigan vs. Michigan State always moves the needle in the Midwest, but the Wolverines are No. 12 in the Associated Press poll, while the Spartans are No. 7.

The winner will be firmly in the College Football Playoff picture. 

With a showdown of this magnitude, it is no surprise ESPN’s traveling pregame show, College GameDay, will be there to set the stage. The show shared its decision to head to Ann Arbor:

Here is a look at all the essential information you need for College GameDay and Saturday’s clash, which airs at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

ESPN College GameDay: Week 7 Info 

Date: Saturday, Oct. 17

Time (ET): 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Watch: ESPN 

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Preview and Prediction

The last time these two rivals met so highly ranked was back in 1999, and No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Michigan.

In recent years, it has been the Spartans climbing the national rankings while the Wolverines struggled to remain relevant. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio beat Michigan in six of the last seven meetings, including a 35-11 destruction in 2014 and a beatdown in 2013 that saw the Spartans hold the Wolverines to minus-48 rushing yards.

Despite Dantonio’s upper hand in this rivalry, it is Michigan that enters Saturday’s clash as the favorites following three straight shutouts against BYU, Maryland and nationally ranked Northwestern. Harbaugh’s only loss this year came against Utah, and that narrow seven-point defeat is almost impressive in hindsight because the Utes are undefeated and rolling through the Pac-12.

The Spartans are also undefeated, but they looked rather pedestrian against Purdue and barely escaped with a three-point win. From there, they needed a late fourth-quarter touchdown to beat Rutgers, and the flagship win over Oregon is no longer a resume-builder because of the Ducks’ struggles.

Despite his team’s status, Dantonio was not ready to accept his underdog role, per Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News: "I think you're only underdogs if you think you're underdogs. I will say Michigan is playing outstanding football right now, and we need to play better at certain points. But we are undefeated, we've found a way to win football games, that's the bottom line."

Dantonio may not see his group as underdogs, but Michigan’s defense is difficult to bet against at this point. The Wolverines are first in the nation in points allowed and second in yards allowed per game behind a formidable front seven and a secondary that includes cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Jabrill Peppers.

Mel Evans/Associated Press

The Maize and Blue also have 15 sacks and 48 tackles for loss and will be matched up with an offensive line that has struggled with injuries all season. Kodi Kieler and Jack Conklin have both missed multiple games, Dennis Finley is out for the year and Jack Allen suffered a physical setback.

It would be a significant lift for the Spartans if Kieler, Conklin and Allen are healthy and able to protect Connor Cook because Michigan hasn’t faced an offense with the type of weapons the Spartans bring to the table.

Cook is a senior leader with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions this season, and he counts a Big Ten Championship and victories in the Rose and Cotton Bowls on his resume. Elsewhere, freshman running back L.J. Scott is a bowling ball in the open field and has four touchdowns in his last two games, and wide receiver Aaron Burbridge cracked the century mark in receiving yards in four of six outings this year.

The Wolverines defense is overwhelming at times, but the shutout streak will end against that group. 

On the other side, it is easy to point to quarterback Jake Rudock as the weak link for Michigan with five touchdowns and six interceptions, but he does have 1,135 passing yards and a solid 62 percent completion mark. Author John U. Bacon suggested Rudock is a much better signal-caller when he receives the protection fans saw against Northwestern:

Michigan State is an abysmal 89th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game, and safety RJ Williamson and cornerback Vayante Copeland are both out with significant injuries.

The Spartans will focus on stopping a strong Michigan rushing attack that features De’Veon Smith, which will open up some opportunities for Rudock. He will take advantage of a vulnerable secondary and give the Wolverines the early lead.

From there, Michigan’s dominant defense will stifle the Spartans and walk away with a program-altering victory.

Prediction: Michigan 21, Michigan State 13