Michigan-MSU to kickoff at noon on FOX

The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy will kick off Oct. 20 at noon on FOX, per Michigan football.

This will be the fifth time Michigan has played on FOX or one of its affiliates, joining the Western Michigan, Southern Methodist, Nebraska and Northwestern contests.

The Wolverines visit East Lansing with a chance at revenge for last year’s 14-10 defeat in a night monsoon at the Big House.

Despite leading the series 69-36-5, Michigan has lost eight of 10 to Mark Dantonio during his time with the Spartans.

Both teams will be coming off intense conference matchups. The Maize and Blue host Wisconsin at night this Saturday on the ABC prime time game, while the Green and White travel to Happy Valley to face No. 8 Penn State (3:30 p.m., BTN).

While Jim Harbaugh has struggled in high-profile road games, one of the better ones was a 32-23 victory over MSU in 2016.

That Spartan squad ended that year 3-9. This year’s outfit is currently 3-2, but have their backs against the wall the next two weeks against the Nittany Lions and Wolverines.

Falling to 3-4 after Oct. 20 could be a distinct possibility. Look for Dantonio to call for the proverbial chip on the shoulder to survive on national television.