It is no secret that Michigan struggled mightily on the road under previous head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, but those problems have carried over to the Jim Harbaugh era as well.
The Wolverines have not defeated an Associated Press top 25 team in their home stadium since 2006, when U-M went into South Bend and destroyed the No. 2-ranked Irish 47-21.
Since that September afternoon, the Wolverines have proceeded to lose their next 16 such road contests, a streak that is still intact heading into Saturday’s game at Notre Dame.
The Maize and Blue have come incredibly close to pulling out several of the games on the list above, dropping five of them by seven points or fewer (Ohio State in 2006, 2012 and 2016, Iowa in 2009, and Notre Dame in 2012).
Michigan had its best chance to snap the road losing streak in Columbus in 2016.
The Wolverines held a 10-point lead late in the third quarter of that contest, before seeing their advantage evaporate and the game head into double overtime.
U-M appeared to have won when it thought it stopped OSU on fourth down in the extra session, but a controversial call gave the Buckeyes a first down, and they ultimately went on to come out victorious.
Michigan also came close to claiming the 2012 affair in Columbus, holding a 21-17 lead at the break. It failed to score a single point in the second half, though, and the Buckeyes squeaked out a 26-21 triumph.
U-M was in position to come out on top in South Bend against the No. 11-ranked Irish that same year, despite turning the ball over six times in a mistake-filled affair.
The defense did its part, but Michigan's offense could only muster two measly field goals and fell 13-6.
Prior to the losing streak, the narrative had been the complete opposite for the program under head coach Lloyd Carr.
From mid-2003 through the aforementioned Notre Dame beatdown in 2006, Michigan had actually put together a six-game winning streak against ranked opponents on the road.
The stretch on the table above had some impressive feats in it, including two wins over top-10 foes (No. 2 Notre Dame in 2006 and No. 9 Michigan State in 2003), and three more against top-20 opponents (No. 11 Michigan State in 2005, No. 12 Purdue in 2004 and No. 17 Minnesota in 2003).
If the Maize and Blue are able to grab a victory on Saturday night, it will also a snap a two-game losing streak in South Bend (2012 and 2014).
Prior to the skid, the Wolverines had actually walked out of Notre Dame Stadium victorious in two of their previous three trips (2006 and 2010).
By The Numbers: Michigan at Notre Dame
9-10-1 Is Michigan’s all-time mark in South Bend, meaning the Wolverines will have a chance to even their record there on Saturday. U-M is 0-5 in Notre Dame Stadium in night games, however.
28th Time ESPN’s College GameDay will be in attendance for a Michigan game this weekend. The Wolverines have a 14-13 record when the popular show is present. A U-M versus Notre Dame contest has hosted GameDay six previous times, with Michigan owning a 5-1 mark in those tilts (wins in 1994, 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2013, and a loss in 1998).
31-0 Was the final score the last time U-M played at South Bend in 2014, marking the program’s first time being shut out since a 26-0 loss to Iowa in 1984. They have not been blanked since that 2014 affair.
49.5 Completion percentage for Notre Dame senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush last season. On the flip side, the U-M secondary allowed opponents to complete only 48.8 percent of their passes in 2017, which was the third-lowest mark in the nation.
50 Percent chance of thunderstorms Saturday night in South Bend (according to weather.com), with winds ranging from 10-20 miles per hour. It could possibly resemble the 2008 affair there, which also featured stormy weather and heavy rain.
113-22-3 Record in season openers all time for Michigan. Four of those 22 losses have occurred since 2007 (Appalachian State in 2007, Utah in 2008 and 2015, and Alabama in 2012).
1879 and 1887 Is when Michigan and Notre Dame began playing football, respectively. The Wolverines are tied for the third oldest current FBS program (behind only Rutgers and Northwestern), while Notre Dame is tied for 12th.
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