Over time, Michigan football tickets have become special for many reasons. The Wolverines not only have the most wins for a college football program in the United States, but as of this writing they also have the highest winning percentage of any major college team. For over 100 years, the Wolverines have been winning in a big way, counting over 850 victories to their credit during that time.
However, the Wolverines have “struggled” a bit in recent years as teams in the Big Ten have begun to compete with them on a regular basis. There does need to be a disclaimer in place, however, in that an “off” year for the Wolverines would be an outstanding season for most other programs. Regardless, Michigan fans have come to expect a certain level of dominance over time, and a look at the past few seasons may show why the perception is that the team isn’t the “premier” program it once was.
The Start of the Perceived “Decline”
The Wolverines won their first “Modern Era” national championship in 1997 after finishing an undefeated season. It was the pinnacle for a program that had won six Big Ten titles in the previous 10 seasons, and the Wolverines were heroes to students, fans and alumni all over the world. Players such as Brian Griese and Charles Woodson were the stars of that team, and the program appeared to be as strong as ever.
The team had another strong year in 1998 when they won another Big Ten title, but did not go to the Rose Bowl that year due to a tiebreaker rule. They followed that season with another strong 10-2 record in 1999 but failed to win the Big Ten, finishing behind Wisconsin, who went to the Rose Bowl and represented the Big Ten with a victory.
It was the dawn of the 21st Century that led to fans and alumni grumbling that the program was starting to “decline.” You wouldn’t have known it based on sales of Michigan football tickets, as the “Big House” was and is still packed for every game with over 100,000 fans. However, the Wolverines lost three games in 2000 and did not advance to the Rose Bowl.
2001 led to more grumbling, as the team lost four games, including losses to hated rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. They also lost to Tennessee in the Florida Citrus Bowl. The Wolverines lost three games in each of the next three seasons, and an even more troubling trend began to emerge – the Wolverines had lost their recent dominance over the Buckeyes. This, perhaps more than any other factor, has led to dissatisfaction among Wolverine fans.
The bottom appeared to fall out in 2005, when the team posted a 7-5 record and lost to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State and Nebraska. 7-5 may be a good record for most programs, but it’s unacceptable in Ann Arbor, and Coach Lloyd Carr is feeling the heat these days.
The “Decline” in Reality
A look at the numbers shows a slight, but not rapid, decline in Michigan’s winning percentage. Since they began to play football in 1883, the Wolverines won 75% of their games. Since 2001, Michigan is 44-18, which still results in a 70% winning percentage. So then, why do fans perceive the Wolverines to be in decline? Probably two reasons more than any others – they have not been beating Ohio State with regularity, losing three of the last four games against the Buckeyes. They have also lost 11 games in the past three years, which is more than fans are accustomed to.
What does all of this mean? First, the program is not in decline. They had a tough year in 2005, but that will most likely look like an aberration 10 years from now. Secondly, Michigan football tickets are as special as they ever have been.
Word count: 631