FACTS & STATS: Site: Michigan Stadium (107,501) -- Ann Arbor, Michigan. Television: ABC. Home Record: Notre Dame 0-1, Michigan 0-2. Away Record: Notre Dame 0-1, Michigan 0-0. Neutral Record: Notre Dame 0-0, Michigan 0-0. Conference Record: Notre Dame 0-0, Michigan 0-0. Series Record: Michigan leads, 19-14-1.

GAME NOTES: Two of college football's most storied programs meet under unusual circumstances this weekend as the Michigan Wolverines play host to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. For the first time in the history of the series between these rivals, both teams enter this contest unranked. Both are 0-2 as well, another first. Notre Dame gave head coach Charlie Weis a big contract extension, and he is doing nothing so far this season to prove that the leap of faith was warranted. After getting crushed at home by Georgia Tech in the opener, 33-3, the Irish suffered a 31-10 loss at Penn State last weekend. As for Michigan, it has dropped back-to-back home decisions, a 34-32 shocker against Appalachian State and a 39-7 beating at the hands of Oregon. Head coach Lloyd Carr has come under fire, and it remains to be seen if he can help his troops salvage the season. Michigan owns a 19-14-1 lead in the all-time series with Notre Dame, and the Wolverines rolled to a 47-21 victory over the Fighting Irish a year ago.

Weis turned the reigns of his offense over to freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen, one of the most highly recruited players in recent memory. Clausen was sacked six times by the relentless Penn State defense in his first collegiate start, and he finished 17-of-32 for 144 yards and one interception. At 6-3 and 207 pounds, Clausen has some room to add bulk to his frame, but he has incredible arm strength and shows great promise. It is hard to believe that Notre Dame finished with zero net rushing yards on 26 attempts. There are no standout receivers or tailbacks in the fold for Weis, giving Clausen little help in his transition. In the opener against Georgia Tech, the Irish finished with minus-eight yards rushing and 122 total yards. At this point, things couldn't get any uglier from an offensive standpoint for a program that boasts multiple Heisman Trophy winners.

The Notre Dame defense came up with a big play early against Penn State, as Darrin Walls returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, the unit went on to surrender three touchdowns to the Nittany Lion offense. Overall, it is fair to say that the Irish put forth a solid defensive effort, as they yielded just 295 total yards. One area that could certainly stand some improvement is third down play, as Penn State was able to make good on 9-of-16 conversion attempts. The defense allowed 380 total yards to Georgia Tech in the opener and failed to register a takeaway in that tilt. Of the 380 total yards surrendered, 259 came on the ground.

After losing to Appalachian State in the opener, everyone expected Michigan to put forth a spirited effort against Oregon. What occurred in Ann Arbor last weekend was quite the opposite, as the Wolverines played uninspired football and were dominated from start to finish. Chad Henne threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter of that contest, but the offense failed to register another point for the rest of the game. Henne was injured in the tilt and will be out this weekend, so inexperienced Ryan Mallet will be under center. Mario Manningham finished with eight catches for 117 yards and Mike Hart rushed for 127 yards on 25 carries, but those solid numbers were empty. Michigan was expected to be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation this season because of the presence of Henne, Hart and Manningham. The fact that they are averaging 19.5 ppg after two contests is shocking. While the Wolverines are generating a decent amount of yardage (422.0 ypg), they simply have not been able to finish drives successfully.

Michigan has major problems on the defensive side of the football, a fact that was made painfully clear in the loss to Oregon. The Wolverines yielded three passing touchdowns and a pair of rushing scores, and they were victimized for 624 total yards. Oregon racked up 331 rushing yards on 51 attempts, an average of 6.5 ypc. Through two outings, opponents are racking up 36.5 ppg against the Wolverines, who were an elite defensive team a year ago. Sure, some key contributors from that squad are gone, many to the NFL, but no one expected this level of drop off. Opposing offenses have scored nine touchdowns against Michigan in eight quarters, staggering to say the least.

Both of these teams have played extremely poor football, but the fact remains that Michigan has the talent in place to succeed. The same can not be said for Notre Dame, which is young and inexperienced. Expect the Wolverines to make a statement against a bad group of Irish even with Mallett under center.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan 23, Notre Dame 13