CLOSE SportsPulse: Paul Myerberg prognosticates that Michigan and Auburn could join the national conversation with bigs wins this weekend. USA TODAY EAST LANSING, Mich. — Twenty-eight players on Michigan State’s football roster hail from Ohio, making Saturday’s showdown at Ohio State a bit more meaningful than most. Those 28 players, which include 10 likely starters, will take on the No. 5 Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium, and only one of them, punter Jake Hartbarger, has played in a victory over the Buckeyes — Michigan State’s 17-14 upset win in 2015 that propelled them to the College Football Playoff. Since then, there has been two close losses in East Lansing and a 48-3 Ohio State walloping in 2017 in Columbus. But for the Ohioans on the team, many of whom were not recruited heavily by Ohio State, this chance Saturday night could erase the recent bad memories. Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (35) celebrates a…
Continue Reading: What's at stake in Michigan State vs. Ohio State? 'It's a playoff game'
