'The Rock' will bring a 5-1 record to the Big House. (Slippery Rock Athletics)
'The Rock' will bring a 5-1 record to the Big House. (Slippery Rock Athletics)

Michigan has a bye this Saturday. But thanks to an unusual college football connection that's endured over several decades, the Big House won't be empty.

Pennsylvania Division II school Slippery Rock will play host to Mercyhurst at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, marking the third time -- though the first since 1981 -- that "The Rock" has played a game in Ann Arbor. The 1979 meeting between Slippery Rock and Shippensburg at the Big House drew 61,143 fans, still the record attendance for a Division II football game.

Why? Steve Filipiak, Michigan public address announcer from 1959 to 1971, began announcing Slippery Rock scores to the Wolverine crowds on a regular basis -- and drew such a response to the name that Big House PAs have never stopped announcing Slippery Rock scores. That link led the Wolverines to invite "The Rock" for the 1979 and 1981 games, and eventually to its return this Saturday for what organizers have dubbed the "Big House Battle."

There's just one problem from the Michigan perspective -- Slippery Rock traditionally wears green-and-white uniforms that roughly resemble hated Michigan State's threads. Solution? Brand-new, one-time alternate gray uniforms from Adidas, unveiled this week.

"We wanted to find a unique way to show appreciation for our gracious hosts at the University of Michigan," Slippery Rock coach George Mihalik said. "We thought that in order to respect the Wolverines' great rivalry with Michigan State, we wouldn't wear our traditional home green uniforms in the Big House."

Via the Slippery Rock athletics Facebook page, have a look:

The Rock is 5-1, while its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rivals from Mercyhurst are 2-4. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.