EAST LANSING, Mich.-- Ian Gold, the Michigan linebacker, will never forget his first game against Michigan State. He admits, however, things were a little foggy for a while.

"My first Michigan State game, I was almost knocked unconscious," Gold said. "A guy just leveled me on a kickoff. I didn't want to get up, but I was afraid not to."

This kind of intensity will be renewed Saturday when No. 3 Michigan (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) travels to East Lansing to tangle with the No. 11 Spartans (5-0, 2-0) in a showdown with both Big Ten and national implications.

To say nothing of state braggin' rights.

"Back home, this is all everybody is talking about," said Shawn Thompson, the Michigan tight end from Saginaw. "In my town, it's about split between Michigan and Michigan State fans, so I get an earful both ways when I'm home."

Michigan State coach Nick Saban thinks that's wonderful. It was his goal when he took over from George Perles five years ago to make the Spartans as powerful year in and year out as Michigan. It has been a daunting task.

In Saban's first game, the Spartans absorbed a 50-10 pounding at the hands of Nebraska. That set the stage for seasons of 6-5-1, 6-6, 7-5 and 6-6.

Now, things are where Saban had hoped they would be.

"I've always believed that we can have two top programs in this state," Saban said. "They do it in Florida with Florida and Florida State. I don't think it would hurt either program for both of us to be powers.

"It would just mean one great game every season."

A great game is pretty much assured anyway, whether the teams are ranked or just rank.

"There's always a lot of talking," Michigan defensive end Jake Frysinger said. "I've been punched, stepped on. It's a tough game. It's smashmouth football."

These two schools have been going at it since 1898 and their meetings have provided some of the most exciting moments in the history of each.

Two years ago in Spartan Stadium, for example, Michigan's Charles Woodson made a spectacular one-handed interception near the sideline that left a lasting impression. Weeks later, Woodson became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

And the Wolverines went on to win a share of the national championship.

"We have to beat Michigan this year," Michigan State wide receiver Gari Scott said. "We haven't done it since I got here, so we need this one bad. We can't let them come into our house and beat us again."

Michigan and Michigan State have met every year since 1945, a streak of 54 consecutive games. With the exception of 1943 and 1944, when the game was suspended due to World War Ii, the Wolverines and Spartans have met on the football field every year since 1910.

Michigan holds a 60-26-5 advantage and has a 16-9-2 record in games played at East Lansing, 14-9-1 since the completion of Spartan Stadium. The Wolverines are 6-3 against Michigan State in the 1990s and have won the last three games.

"Players have to remember the perspective of the game," said Saban, who has been trying mightily to calm his team amid a swirl of media hype all week. "To the players, it's a game. To the fans, it's the guy you work with in the office, and who has bragging rights and all that.

"But a player still has to remember and focus and concentrate on the things that are important to him playing well. I think if the players get outside of that context, then you can create problems for yourself in terms of their anxiety taking over and affecting their performance."

That happens, too. In 1987, Michigan quarterback Demetrius Brown tossed seven interceptions in Spartan Stadium and Michigan State happily walked away with a 17-11 win.

"It's very easy to be caught up in all that's happening around you and lose sight of what is important to be able to play in the game," Saban said.

This marks just the 12th time Michigan and Michigan State have met when both were ranked by The Associated Press. The series is even at 5-5-1 in the 11 previous games, although the Wolverines have won each of the last five when both were ranked.

The higher ranked team has won nine of the 11 games, going 9-1-1. The only upset came in 1950 when Michigan State won 14-7 in the first game of the season.

Rob Renes, the Michigan nose tackle who grew up in Holland, Mich., hopes there is no upset this time.

"I plan on living here the rest of my life," Renes said. "That's not something I want to tell my children or grandchildren."