Taxidermist recreates Michigan State-Michigan football rivalry with chipmunks

It's not a particularly slow news day for Michigan, Michigan State and college football at large.

The first preseason rankings -- the coaches poll -- were released, and MSU came in at No. 6 overall. Michigan received a vote to make the Top 25, too, but did not crack the list. Thursday, of course, also kicked off Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

Otherwise, however, fans across the state of Michigan look to find ways to keep busy before football season begins. But perhaps nobody is spending his or her time in a more fascinating and bizarre fashion as taxidermist Nick Saade.

He's been in the business for 18 years, he says, and in his free time he's been hard at work on a more "fun" project than his typical duties. As a Michigan State fan, he decided to recreate the Spartans-Wolverines rivalry using 22 stuffed chipmunks.

According to the Detroit Free Press' report, each chipmunk takes five or six hours to skin, stuff, and sew. Saade also uses putty and wire to make the chipmunks look like they're playing football.