EAST LANSING --- Michigan State's offensive coordinator knows what this week is about.

Nick Sheridan has experienced the MSU-Michigan rivalry from multiple different angles. His introduction to it was as the son of Bill Sheridan, who coached the Spartans' linebackers from 1998-2000 and the Wolverines' linebackers and defensive line from 2002-04. Then, Nick went to Michigan himself and played quarterback at UM from 2006-09. Now, Sheridan is preparing for his first shot at the Paul Bunyan Trophy as a coach.

"Certainly, I understand the importance of this game," Sheridan said Tuesday. "My entire family is from the state; both sides, Mom and Dad... I'm very well aware. I didn't need to be educated on it, and I understand the importance and the significance of it."

Past Encounters with Michigan

This is hardly the first time Sheridan has prepared for a game against his alma mater. He faced the Wolverines each year he was at Indiana from 2019-21, with the final two years there spent as the Hoosiers' offensive coordinator. IU scored 38 points against Michigan in 2020, which was Indiana's first win over UM since 1987. The Hoosiers only scored seven points in Ann Arbor the following year, though.

Sheridan's next encounter with the Wolverines was actually in the 2023 national title game while he was the tight ends coach at Washington. After following Kalen DeBoer to Alabama that offseason, Sheridan was the Crimson Tide's playcaller in 2024. That season also ended in a loss to Michigan, a 19-13 result in a rainy ReliaQuest Bowl that featured three early Alabama turnovers that allowed UM to take control early.

Educating the Roster

Rivalries are part of what makes college sports an attractive product to many. There's a level of passion in these weeks that isn't replicated at the professional level. NIL and the transfer portal are two things threatening that vital aspect of college football, though.

Sheridan has lived through this many times over, but the same cannot be said about everyone. A large part of the team's coaching staff is getting ready for Michigan State-Michigan for the first time. This is the first Battle for Paul Bunyan for the majority of the team's roster. Players have to be taught about what they're stepping into on Saturday night.

"I think that's probably more common than it is different across college football, with there being so many moving pieces relative to the roster," Sheridan said about teaching players about rivalries. "I think, yeah, there's an education piece that has to take place, and I think (Pat Fitzgerald) has done a great job."

The presence of wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins and linebackers coach Max Bullough also helps with the education aspect. They're both former Spartans who are also from the state of Michigan, so their understanding of what this matchup means isn't going to be challenged. Former starting offensive lineman Matt Allen is also a volunteer assistant coach.

Both sides are dealing with this. Michigan has a first-year head coach, Kyle Whittingham, who is learning on the job about this game, too, though the Wolverines' roster didn't go through quite as much churn this offseason as MSU's. Regardless, neither side has a clear advantage in the "educational" aspect of this game.

Previewing Michigan's Defense

On the football side, Michigan has a pretty darn good defense for Sheridan to contend with. UM leads the Big Ten in total defense at just 250.0 yards allowed per game. That's also good for third in the entire FBS, only behind Notre Dame and North Dakota State. The Wolverines are also sixth in the FBS with just 4.30 yards allowed per play.

Whittingham's first year in Ann Arbor hasn't gone very well, but the best thing he's done was make Jay Hill the defensive coordinator. Hill was previously at BYU, Utah's arch-rival, but was on Whittingham's Ute staff for a long time in the past.

The fear is that Michigan State's offense may have little chance before the game even starts. Wednesday night's initial availability report will be huge in determining the complexion of Saturday's matchup. The status of starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is unknown, and it seems clear, based on the UCLA game, that true freshman Kayd Coffman isn't entirely ready for the limelight yet.

Running back Jaziun Patterson was also out against the Bruins; his inclusion or exclusion on the availability report will be significant. That gets magnified with Cam Edwards long gone with a knee injury, and after Marvis Parrish got hurt early in the UCLA game, too. Starting offensive lineman Nick Sharpe also left the game in Pasadena with an injury.

The bye week couldn't have come quickly enough for Michigan State with all its injury woes. What remains to be seen, at least at the time of this article's publication, is just how many players have been able to get healthy as a result.

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