The Michigan Wolverines and Rutgers Scarlet Knights lay claim to being the two oldest football programs in FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) history, with the former first playing in 1879 and the latter even earlier in 1869.

The Rutgers vs. Princeton showdown that took place Nov. 6, 1869, was the first collegiate football game in the history of the sport, with Piscataway, N.J., since being dubbed "The Birthplace of College Football" as a result.

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The Maize and Blue played their first game 10 years later May 30, 1879, picking up a 1-0 victory over Racine College. It's worth noting current FBS programs Navy and Massachusetts also debuted in 1879, though the two didn't play their respective first games until later that year.

The Minutemen took down Amherst College in their initial contest Nov. 22, 1879, while the Midshipmen defeated Baltimore Athletic Club Dec. 11 of that season. The next-oldest Big Ten team, however, is Northwestern, which began playing football in 1882.

Michigan and Rutgers went on very different paths throughout their histories, with the Wolverines becoming one of the most successful programs the sport has ever seen and the Scarlet Knights, to be frank, turning into one of the worst.

U-M has more wins than any program in college football history (963) and has been victorious in 72.9 percent of its all-time games. Rutgers, on the other hand, has only 652 victories, despite having played 17 more games than Michigan (1,365 to 1,348).

Despite standing as the two oldest FBS programs, Rutgers and Michigan didn't cross paths until 2014 in Piscataway. This was, of course, because the Scarlet Knights didn't join the Big Ten conference until that year, having resided as a bit of a nomad school prior to that.

Rutgers was independent from 1869-1957 (with the exceptions of 1893 and 1894 when it played in the Middle States Intercollegiate Football League), before joining the Middle Atlantic from 1958-61.

Independence followed once again from 1962-90, before the Scarlet Knights became members of the Big East from 1991-2012. One year was spent in the American Athletic Conference in 2013, before Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2014.

The league has not been kind to the Scarlet Knights, who have posted a dismal 23-55 overall record since joining (29.4 winning percentage). RU won eight games during its debut campaign in the conference in 2014, but has failed to win more than four in any year since.

The Scarlet Knights beat U-M in the two programs' first-ever matchup in 2014, but the series has been dominated by the Maize and Blue ever since. Head coach Jim Harbaugh's crew has outscored Rutgers 256-37 in the five meetings since 2015, with four of those five victories coming by at least 33 points.

Head coach Greg Schiano is back in town for his second stint in Piscataway, however, looking to restore the former glory he once built. The Scarlet Knights won at least eight games in five of the six seasons under his tutelage from 2006-11, highlighted by an 11-2 campaign in 2006.

2 Former Wolverines are on Rutgers' current roster: fifth-year senior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour and redshirt junior linebacker Drew Singleton. The former has racked up 14 tackles and 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage on the year, while the latter has compiled seven tackles.

7 Interceptions thrown by Rutgers redshirt junior quarterback Noah Vedral this season, which are tied with Michigan State redshirt junior Rocky Lombardi for the most in the Big Ten. Penn State redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford is the only other player in the conference who has thrown more than four (six).

9 Turnovers forced by Rutgers' defense, which are the fourth most in the league. Michigan's defense, on the other hand, has gained only two takeaways, which stands 14th in the conference.

12 Consecutive successful field goals for U-M fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin, after he nailed a 46-yarder last week against Wisconsin. Nordin's last miss occurred last year Oct. 12 at Illinois.

39 Degrees for a projected low Saturday in Piscataway, with highs reaching 60 degrees during the day. There is only a 10 percent chance of precipitation for the game and wind gusts not expected to range past five miles-per-hour.

47.1 Yards per punt for redshirt junior Brad Robbins this season, which is the best average in the Big Ten and the sixth-best mark in the country. He took the job away from fifth-year senior Will Hart during the Oct. 31 loss to Michigan State and has flourished ever since.

325 Receiving yards for junior wideout Ronnie Bell so far, which are the sixth most in the Big Ten. He also has 191 more yards than any other player on the team, with sophomore receiver Cornelius Johnson's 134 yards checking in a distant second.

600-39 Is what Michigan outgained Rutgers by in total yardage in the 78-0 beatdown in Piscataway in 2016. Five different U-M players scored a rushing touchdown that night, while two more hauled in receiving scores. The Wolverines also finished the game with a 23-2 advantage in first downs.

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