No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Michigan State are set to meet with both teams ranked inside the Associated Press' top 10 for the first time since 1964, making for what many expect to be an exciting game.

The contest will mark just the fifth all-time meeting between top-10 Wolverine and Spartan squads, with 1956, 1957, 1961 and 1964 being the only other occurrences. Michigan is 1-3 in those games, with the lone victory coming in 1964.

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Not only is a top-10 showdown a rarity in the series, but a top-25 matchup isn't all that common either. In fact, there have been only 19 games since 1950 in which both teams were ranked.

The Wolverines are 8-10-1 in those clashes and 2-4 in the six such matchups that have happened since the turn of the century. However, the Maize and Blue came out on top in the latest ranked game with the Spartans, winning in East Lansing in 2018, 21-7.

Just two of the six games under current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh were ranked contests — a 27-23 loss in 2015 and the aforementioned tilt in 2018.

Here is a look at every ranked matchup between Michigan and Michigan State since 1950:

• According to the VegasInsider Consensus, Michigan is a four-point road favorite, with the over/under for total points set at 50.5.

• Michigan is 18-4 straight up as a road favorite under Harbaugh.

• Michigan is 2-4 against the spread when facing the Spartans under Harbaugh, covering in 2018 and 2019, and failing to do so in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. The Wolverines have been favored in all six games.

• Harbaugh and Co. are 3-3 straight up against Michigan State, with two of the three wins coming in East Lansing.

• The under has hit in six of the last eight games in the rivalry.

• The Wolverines are 6-1 against the spread this season and 2-0 against the spread on the road.

• The Spartans are 5-1-1 against the spread this season and 1-1-1 against the spread at home.

2nd Nationally in scoring defense (14.3 points allowed per game) and 15th in scoring offense (37.7 points per game) for Michigan this season.

3 Sacks allowed this season for Michigan, which is tied for third nationally and stands atop the Big Ten. Conversely, Michigan State slots eighth in the country with 26 quarterback takedowns.

6 Passing plays that have resulted in 50-plus-yard gains for the Spartans, a mark that ranks eighth in the land. Michigan has not allowed a passing play to go for 50 or more yards this season.

7th Is where Michigan slots in remaining strength of schedule, according to ESPN.com, while Michigan State checks in at fourth. The two teams will play common opponents in three of the next four games after this weekend (Maryland, Penn State and Ohio State).

11th in the country in total defense for the Maize and Blue, who are keeping teams under 300 yards per game (299.0). Last week, Northwestern was limited to its lowest offensive output of the season (233 yards), the fourth team in seven games U-M has held to a season-low in total offense.

11-10 Is the lead Michigan holds in the rivalry against Michigan State since 2000, but the Spartans have come out on top in nine of the last 13 meetings.

20 Combined rushing touchdowns for Michigan redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins (10) and second-year freshman running back Blake Corum (10). Both of the two U-M backs are tied for second individually in the Big Ten in that category, trailing only Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson (11). Corum has also added a receiving score.

20.4 Yards per attempt on passes that travel 20 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage in the air for Michigan State redshirt sophomore signal-caller Payton Thorne. For comparison, Michigan redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara is registering 14.7 yards per such throw.

35 Michigan players hail from the Wolverine state.

38 Plays from scrimmage have gone for 20-plus yard gains for Michigan State, compared to the Wolverines' 34.

45 Pressures for Michigan State fifth-year senior defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, which leads the nation, according to PFF. Michigan junior end Aidan Hutchinson has notched 34 pressures on 162 pass-rushing snaps, with his 20.9 pressure rate being more impressive than Panasiuk's 17.1 mark.

247.5 Yards per game for Michigan State against teams that slot 56th or better nationally in total defense, which is over 200 fewer yards than the Spartans' overall average of 451.7 yards per game. MSU racked up just 254 yards against Nebraska (44th) and 241 versus Indiana (56th). U-M is 11th in the stat.

997 Rushing yards for Michigan State junior running back Kenneth Walker III, which ranks second in the country. He's carried it 152 times and totaled nine touchdowns.

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