Get your game face on.(college football )

If you're a football fan, this Saturday is a big day. The two biggest college teams in the state--Michigan State University and the University of Michigan--will battle it out on the football field. It's a big game for fans of both teams and also for anyone who likes to cheer on good rivalries. The Yak is neutral--he's a fan of both universities. Go Green! Go Blue! Go Yak!

SPARTANS HOPE FOR A SURPRISE

Spartan fans know that those Wolverines will be hard to beat this year--but they also know that Spartan teams have a reputation for pulling off big surprises. (How about that big win against Minnesota two weeks ago?) So this weekend, fans are hoping for a Halloween treat as the Michigan State football team heads for Ann Arbor to take on the University of Michigan.

Whether the big game is in East Lansing or Ann Arbor, one tradition that will be keeping students busy this week is guarding Sparty, the big handsome statue that has been standing guard on the north end of MSU's park-like campus for nearly 60 years. If you've seen Sparty, you know he's a big, buff guy. Think Ben Wallace or Shaquille O'Neal big. Actually, Sparty is even taller. Sparty stands 9 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs about 3,000 pounds. He was sculpted by Leonard D. Jungwirth, an assistant professor of art at the university. Professor Jungwirth began work on Sparty in 1943 and the statue was dedicated in June 1945. What you might not know is that Sparty is made of terra cotta, the same stuff that some flower pots are made of.

Students guard Sparty at this time of year because people occasionally try to paint Sparty blue and gold.

Jeff Kacos, the director of campus park and planning, said he doesn't believe the painting prank is the work of "the good people of U-M." Instead he says it's the work of "people that are taking advantage of the situation and using the game as an excuse to vandalize the icon."

Jeff said painting the statue isn't a formal tradition, it's vandalism, and it's part of the reason Sparty is getting a new home next summer. After about six decades of harsh Michigan weather, the statue is starting to crack.