Michigan State University (MSU) has the Cotton Bowl Championship Trophy. The University of Michigan (UM) has a former star quarterback returning to coach a legendary program. When Michigan residents were asked in a recent Denno Research survey which team will win in the annual matchup between the MSU Spartans and the UM Wolverines, 48% picked the Green and White and only 29% picked the Maize and Blue.
“In the past few years Michigan State has owned this rivalry, and nearly a majority of residents think MSU will win in Ann Arbor this year and keep the Paul Bunyan Trophy, which goes to the winner of the rivalry,” Denno said. “While these numbers are not surprising, it is interesting that 22% had no idea who would win.”
The question was part of a larger statewide survey. The question was:
Which team do you think will win this year’s annual “big game” in Michigan college football: [ROTATE OPTIONS] the Michigan Wolverines or the Michigan State Spartans?
- University of Michigan Wolverines 29.5 %
- Michigan State University Spartans 48.3 %
- Other/Unsure/DNK (DO NOT OFFER) 22.2 %
Methodology:
This was a question in a statewide survey of the Michigan electorate, conducted by Denno Research. 600 respondents in the state of Michigan were surveyed between August 4-8, 2015, with a margin of error of plus/minus 4%, and the participation was stratified based on census data and past voter behavior. 150 respondents (25%) were from cell phone users, in an attempt to gather younger voters who do not have a land line. A screen was employed to include only those participants who said they would vote, either at the polls or by absentee ballot, in the November 2016 General Election. All numbers are rounded and may exceed 100%.
