Something Rare Is Going To Happen This Weekend In Bloomington

No matter who wins the game, some form of history is going to be made.

Michigan vs. Indiana isn’t typically a marquee matchup that presents a lot of intrigue. Even with a handful of contests being close, Michigan has dominated the Hoosiers for the last 33 years - winning every single contest since 1987.

What’s different this time, however, is that No. 23 Michigan will arrive in Bloomington attempting to do something it has never done with Jim Harbaugh at the helm - beat a higher ranked team on the road. The Hoosiers are currently undefeated and ranked No. 13 in the country, taking that spot away from the Wolverines who held it just a week before. On the other side, Michigan is looking to rebound from a brutal loss to their unranked in-state rival, and many of the not-so-quiet whispers about Jim Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor are growing louder by the day.

Those two realities make Saturday’s contest very, very intriguing.

Just two weeks ago, the Hoosiers took No. 7 Penn State to overtime and walked away with a one-point win. The following week, Indiana went on the road and beat a Rutgers team that disposed of the Michigan State Spartans in week one. For Indiana, moving to 3-0 and adding a Michigan win to their early season resume would be impressive to say the least.

For Michigan, Indiana presents an opportunity to try and change the narrative, particularly for Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s 1-8 record against ranked opponents on the road is something that many fans point to as an indictment on his job performance. The fact that he has never beaten a higher-ranked opponent on the road only reinforces the growing belief that it may be time to move on. Make no mistake, Indiana is a must-win game for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines.

When the dust finally settles in Bloomington this weekend, only one of two extremely rare things will have occurred: the Hoosiers will either get their first win against Michigan in 33 years (snapping a 24-game losing streak), or Jim Harbaugh will notch just his second road win against a ranked team and his first against a higher ranked team.