The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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M A Look Back At The Big Ten Five Years Ago: 2008 The Wolverines embarked on a new era — and it did not get off to a great start. For the first time since 1984, Michigan finished lower than fifth in the Big Ten standings, going 3-9 and finishing 10th out of 11 teams in the conference. Penn State won its first nine games, including a 13-6 win at Ohio State to garner sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten standings, and climbed all the way to No. 2 in the national rankings. Iowa, led by Doak Walker Award-winning running back Shonn Greene, upset the Nittany Lions 24-23 to spoil an otherwise undefeated regular season. Penn State won the conference and went on to lose to USC (38-24) in the Rose Bowl. The conference had an impressive five teams win nine or more games. But Big Ten teams had a disappointing showing in bowl games, compiling a 1-6 record. Big Ten Top Five 1. Penn State (11-2 overall, 7-1 Big Ten) 2. Ohio State (10-3, 7-1) 3. Michigan State (9-4, 6-2) 4. Northwestern (9-4, 5-3) 5. Iowa (9-4, 5-3) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Iowa running back Shonn Greene Big Ten Coach of the Year Joe Paterno, Penn State 10 Years Ago: 2003 Entering the fourth quarter of their game against Minnesota, the Wolverines were down 28-7 and looked like they would fall to a disappointing 4-3 on the year. But Michigan quarterback John Navarre led a wild 31-point offensive onslaught in the final 15 minutes, pulling off the 38-35 win and springing the team to life. After the victory over the Gophers, the Wolverines won four straight conference games by an average of 24.5 points per game to set up a door-die meeting with Ohio State for an outright Big Ten title. The Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 35-21 in the 100th meeting between the two old rivals. Minnesota was the conference's surprise team, winning double-digit games for the first time since 1905. The Big Ten went 3-5 in bowl games, including Michigan's 28-14 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl. Big Ten Top Five 1. Michigan (10-3, 7-1) 2. Ohio State (11-2, 6-2) 3. Purdue (9-4, 6-2) 4. Iowa (10-3, 5-3) Minnesota (10-3, 5-3) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Michigan running back Chris Perry Big Ten Coach of the Year John L. Smith, Michigan State 15 Years Ago: 1998 In the first year of the BCS, the Big Ten had a logjam at the top of its standings. Three teams — Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan — finished with a 7-1 record in conference play to share the Big Ten championship. Michigan's early-season struggles kept it out of the BCS that season. The Wolverines lost to Notre Dame (36-20) and Syracuse (38-28) in the first two weeks of the season before rifling off eight straight wins. A 31-16 loss at Ohio State kept Michigan from reaching the Rose Bowl for the second straight season. Ohio State, which was upset by Michigan State (28-24) as the No. 1 team in the country, went on to beat Texas A&M (24-14) in the Sugar Bowl. Wisconsin, whose lone loss on the year was to Michigan, earned the conference's bid to the Rose Bowl, where the Badgers beat UCLA (38-31). The conference won all five of its bowl games. Big Ten Top Five 1. Ohio State (11-1, 7-1) Wisconsin (11-1, 7-1) Michigan (10-3, 7-1) 4. Purdue (9-4, 6-2) 5. Penn State (9-3, 5-3) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine Big Ten Coach of the Year Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin 20 Years Ago: 1993 Michigan was coming off five straight seasons with at least a share of the Big Ten title, a stretch during which the Wolverines went to the Rose Bowl four times. The Wolverines took a step back in 1993, posting an 8-4 record that included a span of three losses in four games. Without Michigan in the Rose Bowl hunt, Wisconsin jumped up the Big Ten standings. The Badgers went 10-1-1 and shared the conference crown with Ohio State. It was their first Big Ten title and Rose Bowl appearance since 1962. The Big Ten went 4-1 during the bowl season, including Wisconsin's 21-16 win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Big Ten Top Five 1. Wisconsin (10-1-1, 6-1-1) Ohio State (10-1-1, 6-1-1) 3. Penn State (10-2, 6-2) 4. Indiana (8-4, 5-3) Michigan (8-4, 5-3) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Wisconsin running back Brent Moss Big Ten Coach of the Year Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin 25 Years Ago: 1988 In 1987, Michigan State won the Big Ten and earned its first trip to the Rose Bowl since the 1965 season. The Spartans were looking to repeat in 1988, but they got off to a horrendous start, beginning the season 0-4-1, skewed by losses to 12-0 Notre Dame and 11-1 Florida State. Michigan State strung together six straight wins against Big Ten competition to climb back into the conference race, but the Wolverines were too strong. 12 ■ The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview In 1988, Leroy Hoard and the Wolverines bounced back from an 0-2 start to the season to claim a Big Ten title and then a victory in the Rose Bowl. photo courtesy michigan athletic media relations Michigan also got off to a slow start, losing the first two games of the season to Notre Dame and Miami. The Wolverines went 9-0-1 down the stretch, including a 22-14 win over USC in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State struggled in 1988, falling to 4-6-1. Just two Big Ten teams finished with more than six wins: Michigan (9-2-1) and Indiana (8-3-1). The Big Ten went 2-3 in Bowl games. Big Ten Top Five 1. Michigan (9-2-1, 7-0-1) 2. Michigan State (6-5-1, 6-1-1) 3. Illinois (6-5-1, 5-2-1) 4. Iowa (6-4-3, 4-1-3) 5. Indiana (8-3-1, 5-3) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Indiana running back Anthony Thompson Big Ten Coach of the Year John Mackovic, Illinois 50 Years Ago: 1963 The early- to mid-1960s were wide open in the Big Ten. From 1960-65, seven different teams claimed at least a share of a Big Ten title, and no team won the conference more than once during that stretch. And 1963 was Illinois' year. Led by linebacker/ center Dick Butkus, who would finish third in the Heisman Trophy race the following season, the Fighting Illini went 8-1-1, including a 17-7 win over Washington in the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines had a down year, going 3-4-2, but they notched a huge upset when they beat Illinois 14-8. Big Ten Top Five 1. Illinois (8-1-1, 5-1-1) 2. Michigan State (6-2-1, 4-1-1) Ohio State (5-3-1, 4-1-1) 4. Purdue (5-4, 4-3) 5. Northwestern (5-4, 3-4) Chicago Tribune Silver Football Winner Illinois linebacker/center Dick Butkus Big Ten Coach of the Year (Not given out until 1972)