Michigan State beat Michigan on Oct. 30. The Spartans were down 30-14 at one point in the 3rd quarter and came roaring back to win 37-33.

And yet the Spartans were dropped behind the Wolverines in the College Football Playoff Top 25 a week ago after losing to Purdue on the road. This week, on the heels of a 40-21 win over Maryland, Michigan State held at No. 7 and Michigan held at No. 6 on the latest rankings.

The CFP Committee, chair Gary Barta told ESPN after the reveal, casts new ballots each week, so the Committee has picked the Wolverines over the Spartans twice now:

“Set aside watching the games, though that’s certainly a part of it,” he said. “But statistically in just about every category, offensively and defensively, Michigan comes out on top over Michigan State.”

And then the ESPN crew welcomed Spartan head coach Mel Tucker to the show.

As expected, he fought for his team:

“I think it’s important,” Tucker said when asked how much head-to-head should matter. “That’s why you play the games, right? We got it done against the school down the road at our place, and I think that means something.”

Tucker said there aren’t many discussions in the locker room about outside polls and rankings:

“I tell our players to just focus on what we can control, focus on what’s next, the preparation for the next game,” he said. “We all know what that bottom line is: we have to win and we’ll control our own destiny.”

Should the Spartans beat No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus, they’d be one win away from a B1G Championship Game appearance:

“We have to play complementary football—offense, defense, special teams working together,” Tucker said. “We have to be physical. We have to win time of possession. We have to take care of the football and take it away. Those are all things we have to do to win. Just do simple better. Just be us.”