The Michigan–Michigan State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State University Spartans. The teams first played in 1898 and have met 116 times. The game has now been played uninterrupted, every year since 1945. In 1949 Michigan State was accepted into the Big Ten conference, though it was not until 1953 that the rivalry became a Big Ten conference game, due to protests from the University of Michigan administration. Prior to 1958 all but 6 matchups were played in Ann Arbor. The winner of each year's game receives the Paul Bunyan – Governor of Michigan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of a lumberjack that was first presented in 1953 to commemorate Michigan State's beginning football competition as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
James Joseph Harbaugh is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2015 to 2023, the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, Stanford University from 2007 to 2010 and the University of San Diego from 2004 to 2006.
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, referred to as The Game by some fans and sports commentators, is an American college football rivalry game that is played annually between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. As of 2023, Michigan and Ohio State are the winningest and third winningest programs in NCAA Division I football history, respectively. The rivalry has gathered profound national interest as many of the games determined the Big Ten Conference title and the resulting Rose Bowl Game matchups, as well as the outcome of the NCAA Division I college football championship. In 2000, the game was ranked by ESPN as the greatest North American sports rivalry ever. The rivalry is listed in Rivals!: The Ten Greatest American Sports Rivalries of the 20th Century, published by Wiley. Encyclopædia Britannica includes the rivalry as one of the ten great sports rivalries in history.
Leon Michael Hart is an American football coach and former player. Hart played college football as a running back at the University of Michigan, from 2004 to 2007, and holds the Michigan Wolverines career rushing record with 5,040 yards. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2008, and played three seasons in the NFL. Hart has worked as an assistant football coach at the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and Indiana University Bloomington.
The 2004 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their tenth season under head coach Lloyd Carr, the Wolverines compiled a 9–3 record, outscored opponents by a total of 370 to 279, and tied with Iowa for the Big Ten championship. Having beaten Iowa during the regular season, the Wolverines received the Big Ten's berth in the 2005 Rose Bowl where they lost to No. 6 Texas by a 38–37 score.
Brandon Ricardo Minor is a former American football running back. He played college football at Michigan from 2006 to 2009. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but was released during the final cuts and played on practice squads in 2010 for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.
Denard Xavier Robinson is an American former professional football player and the current assistant director of player personnel at the University of Michigan. Robinson played four seasons as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Robinson was an All-American at the University of Michigan as a quarterback, and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Ty Isaac is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He played his freshman season for the 2013 USC Trojans before transferring to the University of Michigan.
Mike Sainristil is a Haitian-born American football cornerback. He played college football at the University of Michigan. Sainristil was an All-American en route to winning a national championship in 2023.
Blake Nolan Corum is an American football running back. He was a two-time All-American at the University of Michigan. Corum is Michigan’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 58, including the single season record of 27 rushing touchdowns in 2023, culminating in a national championship.
Cade McNamara is an American football quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was previously the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines in 2021, winning the Big Ten conference.
The 2021 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their seventh year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the team compiled a 12–2 record, won the Big Ten championship, outscored opponents by a total of 501 to 243, and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP and Coaches Polls. The Wolverines advanced to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, losing to eventual national champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Jonathan James McCarthy is an American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Michigan. McCarthy led the Michigan Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles, culminating in a national championship in 2023. He finished his career at Michigan with a 27-1 record (.964) as the starting quarterback, the third-best winning percentage by a quarterback in college football history.
Cornelius Alexius Theodore Johnson is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at the University of Michigan. Johnson helped Michigan win three consecutive Big Ten titles, and a national championship in 2023.
The 2022 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines compiled an overall record of 12–0 in the regular season with a mark of 9–0 in conference play, winning the Big Ten East Division title for the second consecutive season. Michigan beat Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game to repeat as conference champions. The Wolverines advanced to the College Football Playoff (CFP) for the second straight year, where they lost to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl for the CFP Semifinal on December 31.
The 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their ninth and final year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines compiled an undefeated 15–0 record, outscored opponents by a total of 538 to 156, and won their third consecutive Big Ten championship with a 26–0 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game. They defeated No. 4 Alabama, 27–20 in overtime, in the 2024 Rose Bowl. They then defeated No. 2 Washington, 34–13, in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship to claim their first CFP title and 12th national championship in program history, their first since 1997, and their first consensus national championship since 1948. With their win against Maryland on November 18, the Wolverines became the first program in college football history to reach 1,000 wins.
The 2022 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on December 31, 2022, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 52nd annual Fiesta Bowl and one of the two College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals, the game featured two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee—TCU from the Big 12 Conference and Michigan from the Big Ten Conference. In the highest scoring Fiesta Bowl, and second-highest scoring CFP semifinal game, TCU won, 51–45. They advanced to face the winner of the Peach Bowl, Georgia, in the 2023 College Football National Championship, which is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, on January 9, 2023. The game began at 2:11 p.m. MST and was aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Sponsored by vacation rental marketplace Vrbo, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Colston Loveland is an American football tight end for the Michigan Wolverines. As a sophomore, Loveland was named first-team All-Big Ten and won a national championship in 2023.
Kalel Mullings is an American football running back for the Michigan Wolverines. Mullings won a national championship with Michigan in 2023.
Semaj J. Morgan is an American football wide receiver for the Michigan Wolverines. As a true freshman, Morgan helped Michigan win a national championship in 2023.
