By The Numbers: Home Games Against Top-25 Foes Have Yielded Mixed Results
Michigan's struggles against ranked teams on the road have been heavily discussed (its last win came at No. 2 Notre Dame in 2006), but its battles with AP top-25 foes inside The Big House have been talked about less frequently.
During the Jim Harbaugh era (since 2015), the Wolverines are 3-3 in such games in Ann Arbor, and, four of those six contests occurred in his debut season at the helm.
Going back a little further, the Maize and Blue hold a 9-11 record in their last 20 outings against ranked squads in The Big House, dating back to the 2005 campaign when Lloyd Carr was still running the show.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
Nov. 25, 2017 |
No. 8 Ohio State |
L, 31-20 |
|
Oct. 1, 2016 |
No. 8 Wisconsin |
W, 14-7 |
|
Nov. 28, 2015 |
No. 8 Ohio State |
L, 42-13 |
|
Oct. 17, 2015 |
No. 7 Michigan State |
L, 27-23 |
|
Oct. 10, 2015 |
No. 13 Northwestern |
W, 38-0 |
|
Sept. 26, 2015 |
No. 22 BYU |
W, 31-0 |
|
Nov. 30, 2013 |
No. 3 Ohio State |
L, 42-41 |
|
Sept. 7, 2013 |
No. 14 Notre Dame |
W, 41-30 |
|
Nov. 19, 2011 |
No. 17 Nebraska |
W, 45-17 |
|
Nov. 20, 2010 |
No. 6 Wisconsin |
L, 48-28 |
|
Oct. 16, 2010 |
No. 15 Iowa |
L, 38-28 |
|
Oct. 9, 2010 |
No. 17 Michigan State |
L, 34-17 |
|
Nov. 21, 2009 |
No. 9 Ohio State |
L, 21-10 |
|
Oct. 24, 2009 |
No. 13 Penn State |
L, 35-10 |
|
Sept. 12, 2009 |
No. 18 Notre Dame |
W, 38-34 |
|
Sept. 27, 2008 |
No. 9 Wisconsin |
W, 27-25 |
|
Nov. 17, 2007 |
No. 7 Ohio State |
L, 14-3 |
|
Sept. 22, 2007 |
No. 10 Penn State |
W, 14-9 |
|
Nov. 19, 2005 |
No. 9 Ohio State |
L, 25-21 |
|
Oct. 15, 2005 |
No. 8 Penn State |
W, 27-25 |
Harbaugh started 2-0 at home versus the AP top 25 (victories over No. 22 BYU and No. 13 Northwestern in 2015), but has since lost three of his last four.
Previous head coach Brady Hoke only faced three such squads at home during his four years (2011-14) on the job, posting a 2-1 mark with the lone loss coming by a single point (42-41) at the hands of No. 3 Ohio State in 2013.
Former head coach Rich Rodriguez (2008-10) actually won his first two showdowns with top-25 foes, defeating No. 9 Wisconsin in 2008 and No. 18 Notre Dame the following year.
It's worth noting that the 27-25 victory over the Badgers in 2008 was the largest comeback in Michigan Stadium history (and second biggest ever, trailing only a 21-point comeback at Minnesota in 2003), with the Wolverines storming back from a 19-0 third-quarter hole.
The brief success didn't last for Rodriguez though. He lost his next five home contests against ranked opponents to conclude his tenure.
Carr's final three seasons on the job also produced mixed results.
He wound up 2-2 in his final four home affairs with the AP top-25 teams (triumphs over top-10 Penn State squads in 2005 and 2007), with both losses coming against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are the most frequent resident on the list above, making six such appearances — all of which happened when they've been ranked inside the top 10.
The Wolverines have struggled mightily against the list's top-10 foes, (4-8 record), but have fared much better against everyone else on the graph, posting a 5-3 mark.
Michigan will have a chance to improve that record to 6-3 when the No. 15-ranked Badgers come to town this weekend.
By The Numbers: Wisconsin At Michigan
6th Night game in Michigan Stadium history will be Saturday. The Wolverines hold a 4-1 record in the previous five — wins over Notre Dame in 2011 and 2013, Penn State in 2014 and Minnesota in 2017, with the lone loss occurring to MSU last season.
10 Percent chance of precipitation on Saturday with a high of 52 degrees, which should make for perfect football weather in the heart of October.
12th Time U-M is hosting ESPN's College GameDay, which is tied with Florida for the third most all time, trailing only Ohio State's 17 and Alabama's 13. The last time the Maize and Blue hosted the popular pregame show was on Oct. 17, 2015, when they fell to No. 7 MSU, 27-23.
17-5 Combined touchdown-to-interception ratio for Michigan junior quarterback Shea Patterson (10-3) and Wisconsin redshirt junior Alex Hornibrook (7-2). Both the Wolverines and Badgers have committed just five turnovers on the year, which is tied for 15th best in college football.
20 Catches for redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry this season, which leads the team and is the most in the Big Ten among tight ends. His 306 yards also pace Michigan and are the second most in the conference among players at his position, trailing only Purdue redshirt junior Brycen Hopkins' 308.
40th Is where the Badgers rank nationally in total defense, allowing 349.8 yards per game. That is a far cry from last year's No. 2 finish, when they only yielded 262.1.
50-15-1 Is Michigan's all-time series lead over Wisconsin. U-M has a 28-7 advantage over the Badgers in Ann Arbor and has won 32 of the last 40 matchups between the two schools.
169.8 Rushing yards per game for Wisconsin sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor, which is the most in the nation. He finished third nationally in 2017 as a freshman, with 141.2.
2010 Was the last time the Badgers won at The Big House. The Wolverines fell behind 24-0 in the second quarter on Senior Dar. Wisconsin ran for 357 yards that afternoon and ended the game with 29 straight rushing attempts, in what was Rodriguez's final game in Ann Arbor.
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