NOTRE DAME Winning common to both schools

Notre Dame has the best winning percentage; Michigan the most wins.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Notre Dame and Michigan will play Saturday for just the 31st time, an almost paltry number in comparison to many college football rivalries. What makes this one special, Irish coach Tyrone Willingham said Tuesday, can be capsulated in one word: Winning.
"You have the No. 1 program in the country in terms of winning percentage, and the No. 1 program in terms of games won," he said.
"When you have two teams that have that kind of history, it's natural that this becomes a game that gathers the interest of a lot of people, not only in this region but around the country."
No. 5 Michigan, which overwhelmed its first two opponents this season, has won 825 games in its history, a record for Division I-A teams. But Notre Dame, second in the number of victories with 792, has the best winning percentage at 75 percent, while Michigan ranks second at 74.6.
The Wolverines lead the series 17-12-1 going into Saturday's game (3:30 p.m. EDT) at Michigan Stadium.
Irish rallied to win
The Irish beat Washington State in their opener last week, erasing a 19-point deficit to win 29-26 on Nicholas Setta's 40-yard field goal in overtime.
"Every time you play the game you learn a great deal regardless of the opponent," Willingham said. "Would you like a tight ball game or a game you can win by more points? I think both have great benefits. Both can add to the confidence of your team, and that's what you're interested in, ways to gain confidence."
In that regard, the Irish ought to be just as confident with their close victory as Michigan should be with its lopsided victories over Central Michigan and Houston, a pair of lesser-regarded opponents the Wolverines outscored 95-10.
But Willingham said he can't be sure how good Michigan is from just those games.
"I don't know how much they might have saved just for Notre Dame," he said. "I don't know how similar they think our game plans might be. One thing we do know, this is an excellent football team. ... Even though their games have been lopsided, it's not because of their competition but because of their good play."
The Irish upset Michigan 25-23 last year in a game at Notre Dame Stadium. Now the Wolverines have the home-field advantage.
"I don't know if there's any true preparation," Willingham said of playing at the 107,501-seat Michigan Stadium, where Notre Dame hasn't won since 1993. "What we have to take into Michigan is a 'just us' attitude, fighting off a lot of people, their fans, their team, to come out with a victory.