Portnoy mocks Michigan State over Saban exit as Spartans' losing streak hits five

Michigan State's worst football decision of the last 30 years is back in the news, and a Michigan fan made sure of it. After watching the second episode of ESPN's six-part documentary Saban, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy went on X to laugh at how the Spartans handled Nick Saban's departure, HITC reported.

The episode, titled "Death Valley," covers how Saban's time in East Lansing ended. He got his first head coaching job at Michigan State and ran the program from 1995 to 1999. According to HITC's account of the episode, the university backed away from a promised $100,000 raise, and officials reportedly told him nobody cared about the money. Saban lost faith in the administration and left for LSU. He went on to win seven national championships, and Michigan State has spent the years since trying to find that kind of footing again.

Portnoy, a longtime Michigan supporter, said the episode had him crying with laughter and argued the Spartans had set their program back for generations. He summed it up as "such a little brother move," using the insult Michigan fans have thrown at their in-state rival for years.

None of this changes anything on the field this week. Still, it lands at an awkward moment. The documentary is pulling a 27-year-old administrative failure back into view while the current team, which you can follow on our Michigan State page, is going through one of its roughest stretches in years.

What it means for Saturday at UCLA

The Spartans are 2-5 and have lost five in a row since opening with wins over Toledo (30-20) and Eastern Michigan (35-7). The skid has come in two stages. First came lopsided losses at No. 3 Notre Dame (27-10), to Nebraska (31-13) and at Wisconsin (31-3). The last two were heartbreakers: a 38-37 loss to Illinois and a 24-21 defeat against No. 25 Northwestern. The offense found some life in those two games, but the close losses have left them winless against four Big Ten opponents so far.

Next up is a trip to No. 9 UCLA on Saturday, October 24, on CBS. The board makes UCLA a heavy favorite, but the 12 venues on our game page don't agree on how heavy. Novig has the Bruins favored at -525 on the moneyline, while the best price anywhere is Kalshi's -290. That works out to $19.05 in profit per $100 at Novig against $34.45 at Kalshi, a wide gap for a game at this level. Michigan State is +506 on Novig.

The spread is closer to a consensus. UCLA is favored by 14.5 points at Novig, priced at +108. The best UCLA number elsewhere is theScore Bet's -13.5 at -115. On Michigan State's side, the +14.5 is -111 at Novig and -110 at Hard Rock Bet. The total sits at 44.5 at Novig, and theScore Bet has the under at 45.5. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.6% to 7.0% across the markets.

A two-touchdown spread fits a team that has lost five straight against a top-10 opponent. The Spartans' last two games, though, suggest they can stay close when the offense gets going. They will try to do it with an old wound reopened on national television.