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Michigan has one of the oldest football programs in the country, opening play in 1879. That longevity has helped the Wolverines amass the most wins of any team in the FBS (989) and the second-most national championships (11). It is one of the most notable, recognizable, and historic teams in North American sports.
Over the 144 years of Michigan football, the team has played seven adversaries more than 70 times and crossed the century mark with three. These are the top 10 most common opponents in Michigan football’s history.
Who Has Michigan Football Played the Most?
Includes all games through the 2022-23 season.
10: Notre Dame – 44 Games (25-18-1, .568 win percentage)
This series goes all the way back to 1887 when Michigan went to South Bend and won, 8-0. That began the best-ever run for the Wolverines against the Fighting Irish – an eight-game win streak from 1887 through 1908 – that ended in 1909 with an 11-3 Notre Dame victory in Ann Arbor.
The teams had just two meetings from 1910 through 1977 thanks to some bad blood and anti-Catholic bigotry. A good deal of this rivalry is built from actions off the field from years and years ago, with Michigan’s Fielding Yost being central to Notre Dame’s exclusion from the Big Ten on multiple occasions. Times have certainly changed since then, but the animosity has held fairly firm.
The renewal in 1978 sparked the start of a much more regular relationship. The teams spent a good chunk of the next 35 years playing each other, and pretty evenly, too, though the last decade hasn’t seen many meetings on the field. Michigan holds bragging rights from its waxing of the Irish in Ann Arbor in 2019, 45-14, the last game between these programs. It’ll be a while until they’re together again, although there are plans for it to happen; Notre Dame will come to the Big House in 2033, and the Wolverines will go to South Bend in 2034.
For a series that only features at No. 10 on this list, it’s got quite a bit of history.
9: Purdue – 60 Games (46-14-0, .767 win percentage)
Michigan manhandled Purdue, 34-6, in 1890 in Ann Arbor to open this series. The Boilermakers won the next contest two years later and have proceeded to defeat the Wolverines on just 13 other occasions.
Outside of a small window from 1962 through 1966 when Purdue achieved five-straight victories over Michigan, the Boilermakers have not established more than a few wins here and there. The Wolverines have matched or exceeded Purdue’s best-ever streak of five-straight victories in six different periods, including right now as Michigan maintains five-consecutive conquests in the series dating back to 2010. Most recently, the Wolverines took care of the Boilermakers in the 2022 Big Ten Championship, 43-22, in Indianapolis.
There haven’t been many meetings in this series since the Big Ten expanded in the early 2010s and the teams were placed in opposing divisions – the last scheduled one was in 2017. But there is a contest set for 2023 with the Boilermakers coming to Ann Arbor on Nov. 4, and with the league’s new format beginning in 2024, a rematch is already known for some time in 2025.
8: Iowa – 63 Games (44-15-4, .698 win percentage)
Iowa and Michigan convened in Detroit in 1900 for their introduction, with the Hawkeyes holding off the Wolverines, 28-5. Michigan responded with a 50-0 drumming in 1901 in Chicago, then even outdid that in 1902 in Ann Arbor, showing no mercy to the Hawkeyes, 107-0.
Iowa has had brief moments in this series, like when it took five of six showdowns with Michigan between 2009 and 2016, and Hayden Fry’s Hawkeyes and Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines experienced some very tight, influential affairs in the ‘80s.
But the 1901 and 1902 games are more representative of the rest of this series than the 1900 one. Michigan has been the victor almost 70 percent of the time, including successful streaks of 11 (1933 through 1956), nine (1964 through 1978), and seven (1991 through 2001). The Wolverines have won the last three outings since 2019, including in the 2021 Big Ten Championship and most recently a 27-14 triumph in 2022 in Iowa City. There are no games scheduled between these two in 2023 or 2024 – Michigan will return to Iowa City again in 2025.
7: Wisconsin – 70 Games (52-17-1, .743 win percentage)
The Wolverines went to Madison in 1892 to win, 10-6, and this relationship was born. It’s been mostly Michigan’s since.
By 1905, these teams had met on seven occasions, with Michigan leading, 5-2. They took the next 16 years off until rekindling with a tie in 1921. The Wolverines rattled off six-straight successes immediately, and the early dominance was cemented.
Competition wasn’t too frequent in the 1930s, and Michigan went 5-0 in the games played from 1943 through 1950. There was another break, and upon this resumption it was Wisconsin that had the better end, collecting three wins in a row from 1959 through 1962 that remains tied for its best in the series. From them on, competition was more common.
The next 25 years saw the Wolverines have their greatest experience in the series with a 23-1 mark against the Badgers from 1965 through 1990, and most of those margins were not friendly. Michigan also beat Wisconsin six times in a row from 1997 through 2002. But over the last two decades, the series has been significantly more competitive, with the Badgers even holding a 7-5 advantage over the Wolverines dating back to 2005.
The Maize and Blue won the last time out, though, with a 38-17 win in 2021 in Madison. Unless they meet in the 2023 Big Ten Championship, the Wolverines will retain those rights until at least 2024 when Wisconsin is scheduled to come to Ann Arbor.
6: Indiana – 71 Games (61-10-0, .859 win percentage)
If you thought there were some lopsided series on this list, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Michigan outdid Indiana, 12-0, in 1900 in Ann Arbor to start the series, then executed three-straight shutouts in the following three years for a combined score of 156-0 across the four not-so-contested contests. The teams took a long break until the Wolverines piled on a 63-0 smacking in 1925. It took the Hoosiers six games and 28 years to score a single point against Michigan, let alone win a game (which they did do in 1928, one of 10 they’ve achieved in 71 tries).
Outside of minor blips, this series has been a write-off. The Wolverines have won almost every single time, and it’s rarely close at all. From 1988 through 2019, Michigan mastered Indiana 24 times in a row, which ranks among the top 20 longest-consecutive win streaks over one opponent in NCAA Division I FBS history. That run came on the heels of a 15-game win streak from 1968 through 1986.
Michigan won its last game against Indiana, 31-10, in Bloomington in 2022, stretching its new win streak to two after the Hoosiers snapped the 24-game one in 2020. The Wolverines could extend it to three on Oct. 14 in Ann Arbor.
5: Northwestern – 76 Games (59-15-2, .776 win percentage)
Northwestern eked by Michigan, 10-8, in 1892 in Chicago to make the first impact on this series. The Wolverines retaliated in 1893, 72-6, an indicator of what was to come.
The teams didn’t play much from then until the 1930s, but they haven’t missed too many years since – the Wildcats and Wolverines have played at least once every three seasons dating back to 1932. In the almost 100 years since these programs became near-annual competitors, the Wolverines have wrestled the Wildcats under control.
The best time Northwestern has ever had against Michigan was a three-game win streak from 1934 through 1937. That ended in 1940, and the Wolverines abruptly began a nine-game unbeaten run in the series through 1948. They’ve had multiple positive periods in the series, with none greater than the 19-consecutive crusades from 1966 through 1992. Michigan is in the midst of one now, too, riding a successful streak of seven after beating Northwestern in the previous meeting, 33-7, in 2021 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are 52-9-1 against the Wildcats since 1940.
As of 2021, this series is also played for a trophy: the George Jewett Trophy honoring Michigan’s first Black player who competed in the 1892 contest that started it all, then later transferred to Northwestern in 1893 to become its first Black player, too.
The George Jewett Trophy won’t be up for grabs in 2023 or 2024 with the next scheduled confrontation between these two tabled for 2025. That means that the run of playing at least every three years will end unless they meet in the Big Ten Championship.
4: Illinois – 97 Games (72-23-2, .742 win percentage)
These teams convened in Detroit in 1898 for their inaugural contest, with Michigan succeeding, 12-5. It took six tries and about 20 years for Illinois to get its first victory in the series, but that finally happened in 1919 and has continued to be a seldom sight since. The Wolverines and Illini met every season from 1924 through 1996 before the league’s expansion finally took its toll and forced breaks in play.
The Illini were national contenders in the 1920s, and the Wolverines were one of the biggest thorns in their side at the time. From 1919 through 1929, this series was knotted at 5-5 with some huge outcomes. For example, in 1927, Illinois defeated Michigan on the way to the national championship, then in 1928, a winless Wolverines squad upset the Illini, costing them a shot at a repeat.
Illinois has not been the same on the national stage since, and it’s mostly been the same in this series. The Illini were the stronger half for small periods, like in the mid-1930s and for most of the 1950s, but it’s otherwise been Michigan dictating the relationship. The Wolverines have enjoyed a handful of sizable win streaks over Illinois, including a 16-game one that stretched from 1967 through 1982. Winning runs of four or five in Michigan’s favor haven’t been rare.
Since the Big Ten instituted divisions and put these two on opposite sides, they haven’t played much – there have been just three meetings between Michigan and Illinois since 2013. These programs did meet last season, though, with the Wolverines narrowly escaping the upset, 19-17, in Ann Arbor. They are not scheduled to play in 2023, but Michigan will go to Champaign in 2024.
3: Minnesota – 104 Games (76-25-3, .731 win percentage)
The Golden Gophers gobbled up the Wolverines, 14-6, in the first-ever meeting between these two in 1892 in Minneapolis. There have been 103 contests since, and roughly three-fourths of them have gone Michigan’s way.
The rivalry isn’t as fierce now as it once was when these teams were at each other’s throats for Big Ten and national titles, in part due to less frequent competition, but also because of Minnesota’s fallen stature. Still, the Battle for the Little Brown Jug is one of the conference’s longest-standing series and was a regular fixture in the Western Conference and Big Ten until recently. The story of how the Little Brown Jug came to be is quintessentially college football, and it has helped define the series since Michigan left it behind in 1903.
Michigan has largely dominated Minnesota, but there have been times when the Gophers climbed higher, with the 1930s and early 1940s serving as the best example. From 1934 through 1942, Minnesota put together a nine-game win streak over Michigan, which remains its best run in the series to this day. The Gophers also took five of seven contests from 1960 through 1967.
But that’s about it. Michigan has built stretches of win streaks of six or more at six different times, with the longest lasting for 16 outings from 1987 through 2004. Dating back to 1968, the Wolverines lead the series, 42-4. It’s been a long time since “The Battle of Giants” in 1940.
Minnesota last beat Michigan in 2014, and the Wolverines are currently riding a three-game run of victories that started in 2015. That streak was last increased in 2020 when Michigan triumphed in Minneapolis, 49-24. The Gophers could flip the script this fall when they welcome the Wolverines back to their home on Oct. 7.
2: Michigan State – 115 Games (72-38-5, .626 win percentage)
Well before Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1950, the Wolverines and Spartans were competing regularly. Since 1910, the only hiatus in the series was for two years in the mid-1940s for reasons you could probably guess. In 1953, the Paul Bunyan Trophy was added to the rivalry as an homage to the state’s great logging history.
This intra-state battle began in 1898 with a 39-0 Michigan trouncing of Michigan State in Ann Arbor, which the Wolverines built on at the next meeting, slapping the Spartans to the tune of 119-0 in 1902 and again in Ann Arbor. Michigan was by far the better side for the first 35 years of the relationship, lording a 23-2-3 record over MSU through 1933. Michigan State won four in a row from 1934 through 1937, but the Wolverines upped the ante with 10-straight Ws from 1938 through 1949.
Things began to turn around for the Spartans in the middle of the century. From 1950 through 1969, Michigan State thoroughly dominated its bitter state rival, outpacing Michigan, 14-4-2. That 20-year period remains the best yet for the Spartans in the series.
And they paid for it dearly in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s as Michigan forcefully regained control of the state. From 1970 through 2007, Michigan led the rivalry, 30-7-1, which culminated in a six-game win streak from 2002 through 2007 and the introduction of the “little brother” twist.
That marked the end of a Michigan era and the start of a Michigan State one. Dating back to 2008, the series favors the Spartans, 10-5, including an eight-year period where MSU claimed all but one contest. But it’s Michigan that has the bragging rights now having crushed Michigan State, 29-7, in 2022 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will go to East Lansing on Oct. 21 to defend their reign.
This rivalry has produced some outstanding games throughout its history, though there may not be a more compelling era in its history than lately – Michigan-Michigan State has been one of the most heated, exciting, and unpredictable pairings in the sport over the last 25 years. It’s important enough to the Big Ten that the league chose it as one of 11 that will be guaranteed to compete in 2024 and 2025.
1: Ohio State – 118 Games (60-51-6, .508 win percentage)
One of the defining rivalries in college football and all of American sports, The Game dates back to 1897 when Michigan stomped Ohio State, 34-0, in Ann Arbor. It set the tone for what came in the first couple of decades in the series, with the Wolverines commanding a 13-0-2 mark against the Buckeyes through 1918.
That period is basically the difference in the overall series record. Things evened more after 1918, with Michigan outdoing Ohio State more often than not but nothing compared to the regular beatings it issued earlier. From 1919 through 1951, the Wolverines went 19-12-1 in the series.
That’s when things began to tilt more in Ohio State’s direction. Since 1952, the Buckeyes are 39-28-2 against the Wolverines, displaying a dichotomy with a split in the middle of the century. But that’s not to say Michigan hasn’t had its moments over the last 70 years – the late-1980s and 1990s in particular were much more favorable for the Wolverines as they defeated the Buckeyes 12 times in 16 tries from 1985 through 2000.
Ohio State’s best period in the rivalry came in the 2000s and 2010s, which witnessed the Buckeyes amass their longest-ever win streak over the Wolverines of eight and go 16-2 against Michigan from 2001 through 2019. Thanks to the pandemic, no game was played in 2020, putting an end to 102 consecutive years of The Game.
Since the rivalry’s resumption in 2021, the Wolverines have returned to the top, ousting Ohio State in both meetings. Most recently, Michigan secured a 45-23 triumph in Columbus in 2022, the program’s first road win in the series in 22 years. The Saturday after Thanksgiving will again host this annual border brawl – the Buckeyes will be in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25.
The Game has produced too many games of fame to name. Michigan and Ohio State are two of the undisputed titans of college football, and with 83 Big Ten championships between them, their annual date on the final week of the regular season has often decided who would head to Pasadena. It’s a one-of-a-kind rivalry with proper parts of hatred, respect, and jeopardy.
CFB FAQs
How are college football bowl games determined?
Only bowl-eligible teams are selected for College Football Bowls. At the NCAA Division I FBS level, the standard by which teams become available for selection in bowl games varies. For example, in 2018-19 season, the team had to have at least as many wins as overall losses. Wins against non-Division I teams do not count toward the number of wins.
How do you play college football pick'em pools?
Simply pick winners from the games each week selected by the Pool Commissioner, either straight up or against the spread. Whichever member has the most points at the end of the season wins
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
What is a college football squares pool?
In a college football squares pool, a commissioner starts with a 10x10 grid of 100 squares (though commissioners decide to use smaller 5x5 pools). Members pick one or more squares in that grid. Winners are determined based on the score of each team after each quarter and at the end of the game.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to read a football squares pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football confidence bowl pool?
The winner of a college bowl confidence pool is the member with the most points after all games have ended. Members rank each game based on how confident they are in their pick (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). For each game picked correctly, members receive the number of points they assigned.
What is a college football bowl confidence pool?
Players try to pick the winner of every bowl game, assigning a point value to each game. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. Members rank each game based on how confident they are (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). A winner is determined by totalling the point values assigned to correctly picked games.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football bowl pick'em pool?
As you might expect, the player who selects the most bowl winners will win their pick'em pool. You can win your college football bowl pick'em pool by choosing winners wisely, based on past performance, player starting status and other "intangibles."
What is a college football bowl pick'em pool?
In a College Bowl Pick'em pool members attempt to pick the winner of every College Bowl game (or a subset of games determined by the Pool Commissioner). Picks are made using the point spread system or "straight up", as assigned by the Pool Commissioner.
