From the outside, this ought to be a no-brainer. In one corner stands rough, tough Michigan -- which has eight starters back from a defense that ranked 12th in the nation last season in total defense, a defense that's expected to carry the Wolverines to their 41st Big Ten title.

In the other corner is retooling Notre Dame, which has had a couple of feel-good wins under new coach Tyrone Willingham, but has yet to experience its first offensive touchdown.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr knows better, though. For one thing, funny things have a way of happening when Notre Dame and Michigan get together, as they will for the 30th time Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

Setta Kick Starts ND

Make way, George Gipp (1918-20). A little room, please, Neil Worden (1951-53). Step aside, Allen Pinkett (1983-85). Suck in that chest, Autry Denson (1996-98). Make room for Nicholas Setta. In the annals of Notre Dame, only four players have led the Irish in scoring for three consecutive years, but that's about to change. Not only is Setta, the only Irish player who falls under the domain of offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick to score a point this fall, a lock to join that select group. The Irish's entire season may be balancing on his talented right foot. It has so far. Setta, who led ND in scoring the last two seasons, has 22 points on six field goals and four extra points. The senior from Lockport, Ill., a far southwestern suburb of Chicago, was 5-for-6 on field goals, missing only from 56 yards, to lead ND to a 22-0 opening victory over Maryland. In Saturday's 24-17 win over Purdue, he contented himself with a mere 1-for-3 as the Irish scored two touchdowns on fumble returns and one on an interception. "I think this is a new era for Notre Dame football," Setta said after the Maryland win, new coach Tyrone Willingham's first at Notre Dame. "That's what makes this so much fun. I think something very special is about to happen here." Winning games without scoring touchdowns? Sure seems like doing things the hard way. Any time an Irish player who's on the field when Notre Dame snaps the ball wants to score, Setta will cheer, cheer for him. Hasn't happened yet, but you never know. People say this can't go on, Notre Dame can't keep winning without getting a touchdown from a running back, for example, or a receiver or a quarterback. But that's becoming increasingly disrespectful to Setta, who's also a middle-distance runner on the ND track team, not to mention the Irish defense and special teams. The only other Irish besides Setta who have scored are a cornerback, Vontez Duff (two TDs) and two strong safeties, Gerome Sapp and Lionel Bolen (one TD each). At this rate, Setta will become the fifth player to lead ND in scoring for three straight seasons this fall even if he keeps going 1-for-3. Irish Setta. It doesn't have the same ring to it as the Gipper. But these days, Notre Dame has to take its points where it can find them. -- Herb Gould

For another, the Irish are finding ways to get it done, and never mind that Maryland and Purdue, their first two opponents, are looking like very average teams at best.

"I look at the fact that Notre Dame is averaging 23 points a game. That's what's important," Carr said. "I don't think it matters how you score.

"Their special teams and their defense have stepped up and made great plays at critical times. The thing that impresses me about the Notre Dame offense is they have won the time-of-possession, and they have had some good drives." Carr said. "They have had opportunities; a penalty here or there makes a difference. I see a very good offensive football team, and a team that gains confidence as they go."

For another, the Wolverines have questions of their own to address. Call them the nation's sixth-ranked team, if you like. But they needed a miraculous game-winning field goal drive to beat Washington 31-29. And their other game was a workmanlike 35-12 victory over Western Michigan, which wasn't going to be much of a test for Michigan.

No doubt, the defense is pretty good. But the Wolverines have issues on offense and in their kicking game that must be answered positively if those title hopes are going to be realized.

The Wolverines are 1-for-6 on field goals this fall. Give Philip Brabbs credit for hitting the 44-yarder that beat Washington. But in the close games that are sure to come against Big Ten tough guys, and maybe even in South Bend Saturday, 1-for-6 is a recipe for defeat. Anguished defeat.

As for the offense, quarterback John Navarre doesn't inspire the Michigan faithful, and he has had trouble on the road, where he has completed only 47 percent (96 of 203) of his career passes. Complicating the matter is that Michigan doesn't have its usual contingent of stud running backs and wideouts.

"With the type of offense we have, we have a lot of playmakers, not superstars," Navarre said. "These guys, they get open. We spread the ball around. And when you do that, you keep a defense off-balance."

That's a good team-oriented approach that can work well. Until you run into a team that has superstars and spreads the ball around.

Still, for all their questions, the Wolverines ought to be able to line up better than Notre Dame, which has some good, experienced athletes who seem to be rallying around new coach Tyrone Willingham. In time, the Irish figure to be to their usual standards. But not yet. Not against Michigan Saturday.

On the other hand, Notre Dame, like its offense, is a bit of a mystery.

"It's exciting to play against Notre Dame," Carr said. "I've coached in this game a number of times, and I don't ever remember it not being an emotional, hard-fought game."

One team can't kick field goals. The other team kicks touchdown opportunities. Something has to give.

Around the Big Ten

Illinois
After seeing Dustin Ward go 0-2 as the starter in Illinois' first two games, Ron Turner has decided to give Iowa transfer Jon Beutjer his first start at Illinois when the Illini play their home opener against Arkansas State Saturday. "Jon's going to start this week and we'll go from there," Turner said. "As I said when I named Dustin Ward the starter before the season began, my preference is to have one quarterback who plays through the season. But we'll see what happens." ... Turner, who has used Beutjer off the bench in the first two games, did not rule out sending in Ward if the situation dictates a change for the third straight game. "Whoever's in there has to play better than they have," he said, "but I believe in both of them. I know a lot of people on the outside don't. But I do."

Indiana
Indiana learned how far it has go on run defense in a 40-13 loss at Utah. Utes tailback Marty Johnson gained a career-high 229 yards and scored two touchdowns before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a knee injury that could sideline him for six weeks. "They did exactly what we expected them to do, but we couldn't stop them," IU defensive coordinator Tim Kish said. The offensive story was also troublesome. IU scored its first touchdown on a trick play and added a second against Utah's second string late in the game.

Iowa
The Hawkeyes, who face instate rival Iowa State this week, improved to 11-1 against the MAC, but barely escaped at Miami of Ohio 29-24. ... Iowa, which has handled the spread offenses of Texas Tech and Northwestern well in recent meetings, had trouble defending the spread attack of Miami. RedHawks quarterback Ben Roethlisberg completed 33 of 51 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns. ... Iowa's streak of being on the receiving end of the opening kickoff ended at 30 games when Miami won the toss and chose to receive.

Michigan
For all the talk about the Michigan defense, it's Notre Dame's defense that is soaring in the national stats. The Irish are ranked 17th in total defense, where the Wolverines are No. 72. Also, in scoring defense, Notre Dame is No. 11 (8.5 ppg) while the Wolverines are No. are No. 45 (20.5 ppg). ... Michigan has won three of its last four games with the Irish. ... The series is resuming after a two-year break.

Michigan State
Even though Rice runs an option, the Spartans are concerned about their run defense after the Owls rushed for 216 yard -- including 137 in the first half, when they built a 10-7 halftime lead -- before MSU prevailed 27-10. "They rushed it 53 times," Spartans defensive coordinator Bill Miller said. "I don't know if we can stop conventional run offenses yet. That's still a question mark." MSU will learn more Saturday against surprising Cal, which is 2-0 after outscoring Baylor and New Mexico State 104-35. The Golden Bears were 1-10 last season.

Minnesota
Minnesota, still shocked by the tragic shooting death of defensive end Brandon Hall, won at Louisiana-Lafayette 35-11, but they did so with heavy hearts. "These are young kids," Gophers coach Glen Mason said. "They've got a lot on their plate. From a mental standpoint, they were not there, but that's understandable. Heck, I'm a grown man and my mental state wasn't there." ... With their Metrodome home likely to be occupied and unavailable Oct. 5 by the Minnesota Twins and the American League playoffs, the Gophers are working on finding an alternate date to play their game against Illinois. The leading alternative is to play Oct. 4, but other options also are under discussion.

Northwestern
Freshman quarterback Alexander Webb will be out at least eight weeks due to a lacerated liver. Webb was injured in the fourth quarter of NU's 48-24 loss to Texas Christian after making his college debut in the second quarter. With his first two quarterbacks, Tony Stauss and Brett Basanez, struggling, coach Randy Walker might have considered giving Webb a shot before the injury.

Ohio State
The Buckeyes, who won their first two games over Texas Tech and Kent State by a combined 96-38, step up in weight class this week when No. 11 Washington State comes to Columbus. This is one of three games Big Ten teams will play against ranked opponents Saturday, but Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel is trying not to add to the pressure on his team in terms of carrying the Big Ten banner. "We do feel the responsibility to represent the Big Ten. That's important," Tressel said. "But as far as a statement game, we're such a young team that we're just trying to put one foot in front of the other and get better at every little thing we do, and not get caught up in this being a make-or-break situation."

Penn State
Is No. 25 Penn State on the comeback trail after two straight sub-.500 seasons? It could answer that question in a tough meeting Saturday with No. 7 Nebraska. But Joe Paterno knows there will be more football to play, win or lose. "It wouldn't be fair to Nebraska to say this is just another game," Paterno said. "They have such a tremendous tradition, such a special program. It's not just another game. But it's a game, and nothing more. It's not the Crusades, it's not the war on terrorism. It's a game."

Purdue
Purdue running back Montrell Lowe, who had started 23 games going into this season, didn't help himself in his bid to regain the starting job he has lost to Joey Harris. Lowe, who's fifth on the Boilermakers' all-time rushing list, gained 23 yards on his only carry, but was benched after Notre Dame scored on a touchdown his second-quarter fumble. "He's a backup running back," offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said.

Wisconsin
Badgers coach Barry Alvarez dismissed notions that his team won't respect Northern Illinois, saying, "We aren't good enough to be overconfident against anyone. We haven't done anything yet. We haven't played particularly well. We've played well in spurts, but we haven't played a four-quarter game yet." ... But after starting 3-0, Wisconsin is quietly building momentum. It is heavily favored to go to 4-0 at home against Northern Illinois. The Badgers have started 4-0 twice before under Barry Alvarez, and gone on to play in the Rose Bowl both times.

Around the Independents
Connecticut freshman running back Terry Caulley, who had 62 yards on 17 carries in the Huskies' surprisingly competitive opening loss to Boston College, is expected to return at Buffalo Saturday after sitting out the Huskies' 31-14 loss to Georgia Tech Saturday. Caulley suffered a shoulder injury against BC, but the decision to sit Caulley was not made until the morning of the Georgia Tech. ... Navy, a surprising 38-7 winner at SMU in its opener, was sunk by mistakes in a 65-19 home loss to North Carolina State. The Midshipmen, who will try to bounce back against Rice this week, fumbled the ball away three times, and their pass defense was scorched for five touchdowns and 309 yards by Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers. ... Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holliday knows the Irish's 24-17 victory over Purdue was not a work of art. "A win is a win," Holliday said after the Irish offense had no touchdowns, but was bailed out by two defensive touchdowns and another from special teams. "That's the basic thing, but we really want to win in the fashion that Notre Dame football is about. In order for that to happen, we have to get in the end zone." ... South Florida, which romped past Northern Illinois 37-6, steps up in weight class when it travels to Arkansas this week. The Bulls put on a defensive clinic against NIU, which avoided a shutout by scoring the last play of the game. Northern managed only 269 yards of offense, including 79 rushing. ... Troy State has outgained its first two opponents, but fell to 0-2 with another mistake-filled performance. The Trojans fumbled seven times and missed a crucial extra point, and UAB's defense scored two touchdowns as UAB held off the Trojans 27-26. Troy State outgained UAB 427-221. In its opener it outgained Nebraska 347-313, but lost 31-16 when it gave up two touchdowns on punt returns and put Nebraska in position for another TD with a weak punt. ... Utah State, overwhelmed 44-13 at Nebraska, will take its $450,000 guarantee from the Cornhuskers and look forward to a more competitive contest this week against Idaho State. On the positive side, the Aggies put up 321 yards of offense. But they gave up 418 yards to Nebraska, which scored on five of its first six possessions.

Herb Gould covers college football for the Chicago Sun-Times.