Oh, the Humanity! Michigan's Brass 'M' Now Colored MSU Green

How seriously do football fans take the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry?

If you’re from the Great Lakes state, you don’t need to ask the question. If you’re not, you probably haven’t been paying attention.

The annual showdown between the two schools’ football teams is Saturday.

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That probably explains why vandals spray painted the brass block “M” on the marble Diag on Michigan’s Central Campus in Ann Arbor with Michigan State green and added the letters “S” and “U” with white spray paying, The Michigan Daily student newspaper reports.

Graffiti isn’t unusual during “rivalry week.” In the past, some Wolverine fans have tried to impose U-M’s trademark maize and blue on Michigan’s Spartan statue, the Detroit Free Press said.

The block “M” was donated by to Michigan University by the Class of 1953, and is a campus landmark on one of the busiest spots on the Ann Arbor campus. According to campus lore, if a student steps on the brass “M,” he or she will fail his or her first blue-book exam. Lore held there was only one way to reverse the curse – run naked from the M to the pumas in front of the Ruthven Museum of Natural History at midnight, within the time it takes the Bell Tower to strike midnight.

However, the bells no longer ring, which means the only way to avoid the curse is to avoid the “M.”

This year’s rivalry game will be played on No. 8 Michigan State’s home turf in East Lansing. The Michigan State has won five the last six game against the Wolverines, including last year’s game, when the Spartans overpowered the Wolverines, 29-6.

Michigan State is favored to win by more than two touchdowns.

Kickoff Saturday is at 2:30 p.m. in Spartan Stadium, and the game will be carried on ABC and ESP3.

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Photo: Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) via Twitter.