Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/163197
Game Preview: Michigan Top Storylines Michigan celebrated after a 35-31 comeback victory against Notre Dame in 2011 in the first night game in the history of The Big House. The win was the third straight in the series for the Wolverines, with all three of them coming by four points in heartbreaking fashion for the Irish. photo by per kjeldsen By Lou Somogyi Setting The Tone Nothing better defines the outcome of a Notre Dame football season than the result from the Michigan contest. In the 29 meetings between the two teams since 1978 — with two-year hiatuses in 1983-84, 1995-96 and 2000-01 — the series is dead even at 14-14-1. Because Notre Dame-Michigan is considered one of the initial defining contests of each college football season, the result usually sets the stage of what trajectory the Fighting Irish football season will take. The facts speak for themselves: In the 15 years Notre Dame did not lose to Michigan, its overall record is 137-42-3 (.761 winning percentage). In the 14 years the Fighting Irish lost to the Wolverines, the final Notre Dame record was 92-77-1 (.544). Furthermore, in those 15 years Notre Dame did not lose to Michigan, it won at least nine games 10 times, finished in the Associated Press top 10 seven times and never had a worse record than 6-6 (2004). Conversely, in the 14 years Notre Dame lost to Michigan since 1978, it finished in the Associated Press top 10 only once (way back in 1978), had at least five losses 11 times and never finished with fewer than three defeats. The long and short of it in 2013 is: