Michigan will begin its 2018 Big Ten campaign on Saturday when Nebraska comes to town, and if history is any indication the Wolverines should be in good shape.
The Maize and Blue have been nearly flawless in conference openers over the last 50 years, posting an incredible 47-3 record during that span.
It should be noted that the timeframe has featured seven different coaches — Bump Elliott (1959-68), Bo Schembechler (1969-89), Gary Moeller (1990-94), Lloyd Carr (1995-07), Rich Rodriguez (2008-10), Brady Hoke (2011-14) and Jim Harbaugh (2015-present).
Here's a closer look at the program's last 30 league openers (28-2 record), dating back to 1988:
"Domination" would be the best word to describe Michigan's performance in Big Ten openers since 1988.
U-M's only two losses during that span — 2014 to Minnesota and 2005 to Wisconsin — came in the midst of two of the worst U-M seasons in that period.
The '14 Wolverine squad went 5-7, missed a bowl game and wound up seeing then-head coach Brady Hoke fired at year's end, while the '05 unit posted the worst record of Lloyd Carr's 13-year tenure in Ann Arbor, ending at 7-5.
The only other Big Ten-opening loss for Michigan in the last 50 years came in 1981 at Wisconsin when U-M was ranked No. 1 — the Maize and Blue would go on to finish 9-3 that year, while the Badgers concluded at 7-5.
Although that Wisconsin squad wasn't ranked in '81, Michigan has taken on its fair share of top-25 foes in Big Ten openers over the years.
Since 1988 alone, U-M has defeated seven top-25 teams in the first league game of the year, including three top-10 squads in No. 9 Iowa (1991), No. 10 Penn State (2007) and No. 9 Wisconsin (2008).
Of those seven ranked wins, four came on the road — No. 9 Iowa (1991), No. 25 Illinois (1995), No. 20 Wisconsin (1999) and No. 19 Illinois (2000).
The 0-2 Cornhuskers won't pose the same kind of challenge this weekend that the aforementioned ranked opponents did, but it will still be a crucial game for the Wolverines.
Several Michigan players admitted on Monday how there is an increased sense of focus around Schembechler Hall with Big Ten play dawning, and how Saturday will be the first step toward winning a coveted conference title, something the program hasn't done since 2004.
By the Numbers: Nebraska at Michigan
1st and 4th Is where Michigan and Nebraska rank, respectively, in all-time college football wins, with the Wolverines tallying 945 and the Cornhuskers 893. Ohio State has the second most with 901, while Texas is third with 900.
4 Touchdown catches for sophomore wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2018, which is the second most in the Big Ten (behind Minnesota junior receiver Tyler Johnson's five) and tied for the seventh most in the nation. U-M wideouts hauled in just three scoring grabs all of last season.
4-4-1 Is the all-time series record between Michigan and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have won the last two meetings (2013 in Ann Arbor and 2012 in Lincoln), with U-M's most recent victory coming in a 45-17 blowout on Nov. 19, 2011, inside The Big House in what was Nebraska's first year as a conference member.
6 Touchdown passes for junior quarterback Shea Patterson so far this season, which is the second-highest mark in the league (Ohio State redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins leads with 11).
6.5 Tackles for loss for fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich, which trails only Purdue sophomore linebacker Cornel Jones' 7.5 in the Big Ten, and is tied for the fifth most in the nation.
65 Degrees for a projected high on Saturday, with partly sunny skies. Last week's temperature at kickoff was in the mid-80s, so it appears that the late September weather will finally be bringing in some cooler temperatures.
70.8 Combined completion percentage for Michigan quarterbacks on the year (Patterson and redshirt freshman Dylan McCaffrey), which is the 13th-best tally in the entire country. U-M signal-callers connected on just 53.5 percent of their throws last year, which was 113th nationally. On the flip side, Nebraska's defense is allowing opponents to complete 66.2 percent of their passes, which pegs them 113th in college football.
304 Yards of offense — 187 passing and 117 rushing — Cornhusker freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez racked up in his first (and only) collegiate game against Colorado on Sept. 8. He was injured late in the fourth quarter against the Buffaloes and missed last Saturday's loss to Troy,. His status for this week's game is questionable.
1957 Is the last time Nebraska started a campaign 0-2, and the team went 1-9 that year in Bill Jennings' first season as head coach. It should be noted that both of the Cornhuskers' losses this year have each come by only five points.
193,059 Is the combined capacity of each schools' respective home stadium. The Big House seats 107,601 people (biggest in the country), while Memorial Stadium holds 85,458 (17th largest).
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