October 19 will be an important weekend in Lansing, MI as Michigan State hosts Michigan ... in rugby.

Yes, there's a football game going on, too, but the Michigan State University rugby program is using this weekend to open eyes to what is an up-and-coming rugby team with some history, too. 

Fans coming to the football game on October 20 are required to book two nights' hotel stay in Lansing (possibly a way to control traffic on game day). As a result, many will be in town on Friday night, and that's why the rugby game will be held on Friday.

"This is such a great rivalry, we wanted to make it something special," said Josh Ressio, Michigan State Rugby club president. "We hired a marketing company, and we got a sponsorship from Gatorade; we want to build something."

Rugby is coming to Cooley Law School Stadium on Friday, October 19th.

The Battle for the Mitten featuring the Michigan State Spartans ? the Michigan Wolverines

Buy ?️ ➡️ https://t.co/41F71PEtqL pic.twitter.com/7r0t4Jd1EF

— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) September 10, 2018

And so this rivalry match now has a name - The Battle For The Mitten. It's named that, of course, because the state of Michigan is shaped like a mitten. 

The game itself will be played in Cooley Law Stadium, the home of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team. Understanding that it was highly unlikely that any game would be allowed on the MSU campus on the weekend of the big football game, the team found another venue.

"They were excited to be a part of it and worked with us," said Ressio. The result? They will fit a full rugby field into the baseball stadium, and be able to sell tickets to the game. Presale tickets start at $10 (https://www.battleforthemitten.com) and the $400 suites have already sold out.

"We are expecting a big crowd," said Ressio. "We wanted to step up our game with our recent growth both financially and structurally and decided to create an event for our biggest game of the year."

It's a bold move by MSU, right as the program is making some moves in terms of results. But to hire a marketing agency, and create an event using just student organizers, and put that event in a professional stadium, is an impressive accomplishment. 

Tickets can be had at https://www.battleforthemitten.com/