Michigan wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday with a 29-13 victory over Air Force.
The Wolverines begin Big Ten play this weekend with a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to face a 2-1 Purdue team that is much better than people expected.
With blowout wins over Ohio and Missouri and a narrow seven-point loss to then-No. 16 Louisville in the season-opener, the Boilermakers have certainly grabbed the nation's attention.
In fact, there is some chatter that they may even pull the upset this weekend.
However, if history is any indication, the Wolverines should be in good shape.
In its last 20 Big Ten openers, Michigan has compiled an impressive 18-2 record.
One might think that Michigan's 18-2 record is the result of poor competition, but that's not the case.
In fact, of those 18 wins, two have come against top-10 opponents — No. 10 Penn State in 2007 and No. 9 Wisconsin in 2008 — while three others have come against top-25 foes — No. 20 Wisconsin in 1999, No. 19 Illinois in 2000 and No. 22 Illinois in 2001.
It should also be noted that even though it wasn't ranked at the time, the Penn State team that Michigan destroyed in last year's conference opener went on to win the Big Ten championship and finish the year ranked No. 7.
The Wolverines' success in Big Ten openers goes back further than just the last 20 years, though.
In their last 35 league debuts, the Maize and Blue have racked up a 33-2 record.
Even more impressively, they've compiled a 46-3 record since 1968.
One of those three losses came in 2005 when the Wolverines finished with a subpar 7-5 record, while the other came in 2014 when they skidded to a 5-7 season.
By the Numbers: Michigan at Purdue
4 Touchdown catches for Purdue redshirt freshman receiver Jackson Anthrop so far this season, which is tied with Penn State senior tight end Mike Gesicki for the most in the Big Ten and fifth-most in the nation.
4.5 and 3.5 Tackles for loss and sacks, respectively, for sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr., each of which lead the Big Ten.
13 Field goal attempts for redshirt freshman kicker Quinn Nordin, which is two more than any other kicker in the nation. His 11 makes are also tied for the FBS lead.
28.5 Yards per catch for Purdue redshirt junior tight end Cole Herdman, which is the best average in the Big Ten and third-best in the entire country.
76.1 Completion percentage for Purdue redshirt junior quarterback David Blough. That mark is tops in the Big Ten (Wisconsin redshirt sophomore Alex Hornibrook is a distant second, at 70 percent) and seventh-best in all of college football.
88 Degree projected high with all sunny skies for Saturday in West Lafayette, which will make for an unusually scorching-hot, late-September day.
2008 Was the last time a Michigan freshman ran back a punt for a touchdown, before freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones did so on Saturday against Air Force. Receiver Martavious Odoms accomplished the feat in 2008 at Purdue.
2012 Was the last time Michigan and Purdue faced each other, with the Wolverines coming out on top in West Lafayette, 44-13. Michigan has played every opponent in the Big Ten at least once since it last played the Boilermakers.
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