The 2023 football season will be a forgettable one for the Michigan State Spartans and their fans. A dismissal of their scandal-ridden head coach, a 5-7 record and for the second time in the last 3 years, no bowl game. Oh, and the picture of Hitler that graced the big screen at Spartan Stadium - that happened.

But across the state in Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan came out of their own scandal-ridden season unscathed with a spotless win-loss record, #1 ranking and a berth in the College Football Playoffs.

Sure there's likely some contingent of MSU fans who will pull for the state or pull for the conference.

There's another group who remembers their Spartan history and is letting that play into who they'll be rooting for when Michigan takes on Alabama.

Nick Saban
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It was a stretch from 1995 through 1999 when it was Nick Saban, the current coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, who ran the show in East Lansing. It was his run on the Spartan sideline, capped by a 10-2 1999 season-ending ranked 7th in the nation and a win in the Citrus Bowl over the Florida Gators, that took coach to national prominence. A pathway that took him to LSU then Alabama after a detour to the Miami Dolphins.

It was Ryan Field, a sports anchor for ABC7 in New York City - and a Michigan State Alum who got Spartan Nation fired up with this memory:

Nick Saban, like any coach with an MSU pedigree, likely has a penchant for taking down the University of Michigan.

The tweet was picked up by the Michigan State Spartans Sports News Facebook page and several Spartan fans chimed in.

Nick Saban
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I think Dantonio loved beating Michigan more than anyone. But Saban will do. It might be a tight game though, will be interesting.

Go get em coach

Lemme find out Coach!!
ROLL TIDE

15 Most Important Games In The Michigan vs Michigan State Rivalry

Michigan and Michigan State have been battling it out on the gridiron since 1898. You can imagine that playing each other for that long will lead to a pretty heated rivalry. The Michigan / Michigan State rivalry is one of the best in all of sports. There have been many moments that helped to build that rivalry over the years. Check out 15 of the most important games over the decades of the Backyard Brawl.

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