Profiles of the Big Ten: Michigan Wolverines

by Husker Mike on May 10, 2010 12:24 AM CDT in Conference Realignment

When you think Big Ten football, one of the first names you think about is the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines have won or shared 42 titles in football to lead the league. They've won or shared eleven national championships, most recently sharing the 1997 title with Nebraska. Michigan football has one of the most storied histories in all of college football. It's a laundry list of accomplishments:

877 wins all-time (most in college football)
124 All-Americans
223 consecutive home games with over 100,000 fans in attendance
25 undefeated seasons

Nebraska fans are certainly proud of the streak of 304 consecutive sellouts, but I wonder if 223 consecutive crowds over 100k isn't a more impressive number when you consider the sheer number of fans who've watched games at the "Big House".

As Big Ten expansion becomes more and more likely, CornNation begins a series of profiles of other Big Ten programs to familiarize fans with their future conference foes. We start with the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan Stadium has a capacity of 108,000 fans, though when you consider visiting fans and bands, crowds regularly exceed 110,000. It's been said that former Michigan athletic director Fielding Yost once envisioned a capacity crowd of 150,000 fans at some point. This December, they'll set up a portable ice rink on the field for a college hockey game against Michigan State. Dubbed 'The Big Chill at the Big House", the game is now technically sold out with 100,098 tickets sold. The rest are being held for purchase by students. Needless to say, this will set a record for the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game in person. The previous record was broken this week when 77,803 watched Germany beat the United States at the World Championships. In 2001, 74,544 watched Michigan and Michigan State battle at Spartan Stadium.

Michigan's 11 national championships sounds impressive until you realize that all but one occurred prior to 1949. Michigan fans. In fact, in the past sixty years, Michigan has only won the Big Ten title 11 times outright. Michigan has an overall losing record (19-20) in bowl games, including an 8-12 record in the Rose Bowl.

One of the reasons why Nebraska fans are thinking positively about the Big Ten conference is to get away from Texas. Many Husker fans are tired of the domineering attitude shown by Texas, and fans are looking to move away from the condescension of the Longhorns. Be careful what you wish for...because if there is one fan more arrogant than the Longhorn fan, it's the Michigan fan.

For those of you who periodically check Husker Mike's Blasphemy, you'll see that I also cover Nebraska-Omaha hockey. UNO just switched conferences themselves, and previously played in the CCHA with Michigan, and I can tell you that Michigan is everything we think Texas is - and then some. Having more than their fair say in conference rules? Check. Arrogant fans? Check. Coaches you can hate? Well, truth be told. Michigan has Texas beat handily here. Mack Brown seems like a pleasant enough fellow. Rich Rodriquez, on the other hand, has his hands full with the NCAA at this point. Think Augie Garrido was unsportsmanlike when the Longhorns refused to accept the runner up trophy at the College World Series? Meet Red Berenson, the Weasels hockey coach.

You'll note that I use the term "Weasels" to represent the Maize and Blue's mascot; that too is a response to the arrogance that flies out of Ann Arbor throughout the sports season. That's why, when you get a chance to knock of the Weasels, it's the greatest joy for fans. (Think Colorado fan combined with Texas' self-righteousness and Oklahoma's record of accomplishment. That's Michigan for you.) I'll submit the following evidence from UNO fan Rick Jeffries, who let loose a rant describing a 2006 UNO hockey victory over Michigan, where UNO skated through Jack Johnson, an all-American at Michigan who went on to play for the LA Kings and the 2010 US Olympic team.

Photo Courtesy huskers.com

Certainly if Nebraska and Michigan meet up as conference opponents, it'll quickly become the Big Ten's newest rivalry. Weasel fan is still sore about having to share the 1997 National Championship, suggesting that it was a pity vote for Tom Osborne and unjustified since Michigan didn't need a deflection off a players foot to go undefeated.

When Michigan and Minnesota play, the victor is awarded the "Little Brown Jug" as a trophy. As a trophy for the winner of the Nebraska-Michigan game, I would propose none other than "Shevin Wiggins' Shoe". This one play might go down in history of the new Big Ten conference, as it affected not only Nebraska and Missouri, but eventually Michigan as well.

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Comments

I've always

wanted to go to a game at Michigan……

and good point about 1997. That’s something to base a rivalry on. Pity vote for Tom Osborne? I still hold that it was just as much a gift to Michigan from the media.

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by Jon Johnston on May 10, 2010 8:24 AM CDT reply actions

JMFJ was a great college hockey player

As a Michigan fan, I’d love to see Nebraska in the Big Ten. Great tradition of winning. Great academics. Great overall athletic department. The volleyball match ups have me tingling… for more than one reason.

Baseball would probably be a boost as well. No offense when I consider Nebraska a second tier baseball program in the Big XII, but moving to the Big Ten wouldn’t cost them too many NCAA tourney bids. The conference isn’t normally as bad as this year, and Nebraska would consistently finish in the top 3, which should get them an at-large bid at minimum most years.

As far as douche bag fans, several have been knocked down a peg or two lately. Nothing like the last two season of football combined with the last 15 years of Michigan basketball to kill a good buzz. Hell, even hockey had a horrible year, just barely salvaged in the last 3 weeks.

by formerlyanonymous on May 10, 2010 11:06 AM CDT reply actions

No offense taken....this year

Over the last decade Nebraska has either been the class of the Big 12 in baseball or at least fighting with a couple other schools for the conference title. We ARE awful this year, but we have a strong baseball team historically.

It’s a pity that Nebraska and Michigan would be in separate divisions, but even still I’m sure that we would learn to hate each other very quickly (heck some of us already do). I’d be a ton of fun to play you guys on a regular basis though.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on May 10, 2010 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions

I'd love to like Michigan

I just wish I didn’t know the MU fans that I do. Good history, big support, beautiful state, great acedemics, and you gotta like that they’ve used the same weird helmet design for eons..keeping the history.

I just can’t stand the way the Michigan fans that I know, behave. I’ll have to make a trip to Ann Arbor and meet some new ones, and hope for the best.

"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"

GO BIG RED!

by Brian Speers on May 10, 2010 7:46 PM CDT reply actions

Right...

First of all, I wish to iterate that I have nothing but respect for Nebraska’s great football history and their fans. All of the Nebraska fans that I have met in person have been generally good sports and reasonably fair minded.

That said, your comments about our coaches are completely off base. First of all, with regards to Rich Rodriguez, he is in trouble with the NCAA for going slightly over the limit on practice hours because he didn’t think that stretching constituted countable hours. Second of all, your castigation of Red Berensen has no basis. As I understand it from your post, you are criticizing him for arrogance because he implied that Michigan was had a team that was equal to or better than UNO’s even though they lost the game, which was followed by a 4-1 drubbing the following night. However, it would seem that he was right because a) we clearly weren’t playing our best during that series and b) we actually were the better team. I say this based not to belittle UNO, but because we, unlike UNO, made the NCAA tournament and we finished with a superior record. Saying UNO was better than Michigan this year is like saying 2009 Ole Miss was better than 2009 Florida.

I understand criticizing our fanbase for being arrogant. Many of us are. However, I do wonder whether you realize the irony of calling us arrogant when you cite one faulty example in your post after including an incredibly smug clip from a sports talk show and belittling our mascot. Not to mention making attacks on our coaches’ characters.

by Seth9 on May 14, 2010 9:23 AM CDT reply actions