Whatever the reason, four seasons have passed without an MSU victory over U-M. The Spartans haven't had a drought that long since 1983, when they lost five consecutive games to their rivals from Ann Arbor.

More importantly, the current four-game losing streak means a senior class is in danger of passing through the MSU program without beating the Maize and Blue. If it were any other opponent, it might not seem so bad — it's doubtful former Spartans bounce their grandchildren on their laps and boast of a memorable fall afternoon when they waged a gridiron war against the Indiana Hoosiers. But a win against U-M is one players are sure to remember because it means they exacted revenge on the school that deems many Spartans unworthy.

"That's why they come here — to play Michigan," said MSU head coach John L. Smith, who has yet to beat U-M in three tries. "And let's be honest, those guys down the road didn't care about them, didn't recruit them. So let's go play 'em."

Junior linebacker Kaleb Thornhill sat by the tunnel at the north end of Spartan Stadium during MSU's 2001 victory against U-M. He endured some heckling from nearby Wolverines fans throughout the contest, but Thornhill got the last laugh when he watched MSU players pile on top of Duckett in the end zone while fans rushed the field from the student section.

"I was on the opposite side of where they scored," Thornhill said. "But man, some Michigan fans were sitting behind us at that game, running off at the mouth. That motivated me more than anything, to hear the things they were saying and how disrespectful they are, and most of them — I feel — are like that. I take that personally."

Senior center Kyle Cook was there, too. He was visiting MSU as a recruit and received extra tickets for the game. He invited a friend who played point guard at his high school and the friend's brother. Both were die-hard Maize and Blue fans.

"I believed we were gonna beat 'em," Cook said. "It was great being up there and just watching them sit next to me and knowing that we'd beat them and just rubbing it in. It was an awesome feeling, knowing that I was going to come here."

Like Thornhill, Drew Stanton grew up bleeding green and white. He's come close to beating U-M twice. He helped MSU build a 17-7 lead over the Wolverines in 2004, but a clean hit by U-M linebacker LaMarr Woodley slammed him to the turf near the end of the second quarter, knocking Stanton out of the game with a separated shoulder. The following year, Stanton drove the Spartan Stadium student section into a frenzy before the opening kickoff, but two poor passes in overtime led to a botched field-goal attempt and a 34-31 loss. Saturday is his last opportunity to silence the Wolverines fans he has grown to loathe.

"It's the thousands of bandwagon people that jump on there, went all over, went to community colleges, and all of the sudden they're Michigan fans because Michigan is No. 1 in the nation," Stanton said.

Thornhill may have even more at stake against U-M than the other players, including some of the seniors. His father, Charlie "Mad Dog" Thornhill, and his brother, Josh, each beat U-M twice while lining up on defense for MSU.

Now, he is staring down the possibility of either failing to match his father and brother's record against the Wolverines or never beating them at all. Family bragging rights are at stake.

"I remember when I used to go watch the games when my brother played and how much hatred I had toward Michigan," Thornhill said. "Just to see the fans and what they said after the game and how arrogant they are — it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth and makes you want to go out there and stick it to them."

For the Spartans, all signs suggest the outcome of Saturday's game will be more of the same.

Unlike 2005, when the Spartans entered the game 4-0 and were favored, MSU is limping into this year's matchup. The Spartans collapsed in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame two weeks ago, giving up a 16-point lead and losing, 40-37. They failed to recover from the loss the following week and were beaten by Illinois — which had only one Big Ten win in three years — 23-20.

MSU is without Javon Ringer, who is lost for the season with a knee injury. Stanton is nursing bruised ribs, but is listed as probable. Several offensive linemen are also out of commission.

To make matters even worse, Smith is feeling the heat from fans, especially after admitting in the press conference following the Illinois loss that he couldn't get the players to practice hard.

But the Spartans are adamant that the previous two games aren't a barometer of what will happen Saturday at the Big House.

"I mean, we're better than we're playing, man," junior bandit Sir Darean Adams said. "But believe me — come Saturday, you'll see the real Michigan State. You will see the real Michigan State."

If nothing else, the seniors can draw motivation from knowing the odds are stacked against them. Stanton took it upon himself to stress the importance of the game to his teammates this week. He rallied the squad together during practice Tuesday and asked a rhetorical question:

"How many people here have beat Michigan?"

No one raised a hand.

Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.