The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/137378
Final Grade: C The Sugar Bowl win over Virginia Tech, which capped the Wolverines' 11-2 season in 2011, was the only bowl victory for the class of 2008, and one of the best wins during the group's time at U-M. The contributions of the 2008 class in restoring Michigan's winning tradition cannot be discounted, but overall the class fell way short of the expectations at U-M. From 2008-12, the Wolverines won only 54 percent of their games, ranking the Maize and Blue eighth among Big Ten teams. The class produced far more misses than hits, with Mike Martin the lone great player to emerge, while the cohort never won a league title, went 1-4 against Ohio State, 1-4 against Michigan State and recorded just a single top-20 final ranking (No. 12 in 2011). A player like Martin will stand the test of time, and a few others will be recalled fondly, but largely this class will be pushed aside as more successful ones cycle through, and that is the fate the group earned. photo by per kjeldsen photo by per kjeldsen Big Ten Winning Percentages From 2008-12 Rk. School Rec. 1. Ohio State 51-13 46-18 2. Penn State 3. Nebraska* 48-20 4. Wisconsin 47-20 5. Michigan State 44-22 40-25 6. Northwestern 7. Iowa 39-25 8. Michigan 34-29 9. Purdue 26-36 10. Minnesota 25-38 11. Illinois 24-38 12. Indiana 17-43 Pct. .797 .719 .706 .701 .667 .615 .609 .540 .419 .397 .387 .283 *Spent 2008-10 in the Big 12 NFL Draft Picks Mike Martin — Tennessee Titans, third round, No. 82, 2012. Michael Cox — New York Giants, seventh round, No. 253, 2013. 250 ■ The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview Year-By-Year Record 2008: 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten. Final Rankings: AP, unranked, Coaches, unranked. 2009: 5-7, 1-7 Big Ten. Final Rankings: AP, unranked, Coaches, unranked. 2010: 7-6, 3-5 Big Ten, Gator Bowl vs. Mississippi State (L, 52-14). Final Rankings: AP, unranked, Coaches, unranked. 2011: 11-2, 6-2 Big Ten, Sugar Bowl vs. Virginia Tech (W, 23-20). Final Rankings: AP, No. 12, Coaches, No. 9. 2012: 8-5, 6-2 Big Ten, Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina (L, 33-28). Final Rankings: AP, No. 24, Coaches, unranked. Five-Year Record Overall: 34-29 (.540). Big Ten: 18-22 (.450). Bowl Games: 1-2. Versus Ohio State: 1-4. Versus Notre Dame: 3-2. Versus Michigan State: 1-4. Top-20 Finishes: 1, 2011.