by Ren S.

Created on: August 18, 2008

It would be all too easy to run down a list of Michigan's accomplishments over more than a century of college football. The only thing making that task difficult is that the Wolverines have too many accomplishments.

Besides, any diehard fan of college football, no doubt, has heard several of them over and over. We all know that Michigan is the "winningest" team in college football history, passing Notre Dame in 2006 after somewhat of an upset over their arch-rival. We know that Michigan has one of the best rivalries-if not THE best rivalry-in college football history with Ohio State. The rivalry was taken to its highest level by Ohio State coach Woody Hayes and his protege Wolverines coach Bo Schembechler from 1969-1978, starting with Michigan's upset victory over Hayes' best Ohio State team. Bo Schembechler is Michigan's most legendary coach, winning 80% of the games he coached and 85% in conference play, and he is one of the greatest coaches in college football history. We know Michigan's legendary players, including Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, Jim Harbaugh and Tom Harmon. Michigan holds the record for bowl game appearances, playing post-regular season for 33 years in a row as of 2007's bowl season. This record means that Michigan has not had a losing record in decades. In fact, Michigan's 7-5 record in 2005 was the program's lowest in the past 23 years as of 2007. It is also probably no secret that Michigan is one of the most hated programs in college football. This goes beyond the team's official rivalries with Ohio State, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Minnesota. Because of Michigan's accomplishments, any team that plays the Wolverines is especially hungry to record a win, and fans of many other teams hope for and enjoy Michigan losses even if their team has never played the Wolverines.

However, the Wolverines are also highly misunderstood by outsiders, and much about the team is either unknown or forgotten to many college football fans. It is probably safe to say that most people don't know the history behind the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. The rivalry goes well beyond yearly November meetings and the Schembechler-Hayes days, beginning with a dispute over state ownership of the territory known today as Toledo, Ohio-a dispute the state of Ohio obviously won. Today, several Michigan and Ohio residents will tell you that the two states remain at odds, albeit for different reasons than territory. Michigan residents, as well as the University of Michigan,

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