Is this the greatest Michigan team of our lifetimes?

yes

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I can tell you I never saw the 97 team live and I've been a fan since like 2003 / 2004 when I was already in college elsewhere and my good friend who I had been playing computer games with got me on the Michigan (and Pistons) bandwagon. I've never wavered ever since, I've supported the team even though I've never been to Michigan, and by gosh in all my 20 or so years I've never seen a team like this

15-0, demolished all comers in a time of unparalleled parity. We know the answer. Go Blue!

Yuppers!!!

Absolutely!!!

Absolutely the best team ever.

Yes and it isn't close.

I've watched a ton of football in my 43 years on this planet.

This may be the best coached football team I've ever seen.

Hail to the victors

National Champs!

Unquestionably 

Unquestionably.

It really is

Without a doubt it is.  Offense was better than the 97 team and the defense was just as good as that 97 defense.

Not even close.

As a team, absolutely. 97 was pretty hard to top but this team did. If you look up team it should be a pic of these boys. 

Absolutely.  We may never see another Michigan team this good.  

Go Blue.

Yes. The offense was more dynamic than '97. 

In an interview with Eisen last week, Woodson said this team is better if they win it all. I'll take his word for it. 

Yes. 

Charles Woodson is in the NFL Hall of Fame. We’ll have to see if any of these players achieve greatness in the NFL. 

But as a team, this year’s is no question the best. I can’t think of a previous team that faced the gauntlet that this one did.

And people can suggest that all the naysaying brought the team together, but the mental toughness needed to endure that for months is astonishing. 

97 team didn't have to go through the gauntlet of a championship game and playoff.

It's a really interesting question, IMO. As good as this year's defense is — and it was excellent, and I think is the reason we won the national championship — I think the 97 one was even better (dismissing them as Woodson and a "supporting cast" is unfair).

And the 97 team on offense had better receivers (both Woodson and Tai Streets) than this year's team. But McCarthy is way better than Griese, and I'll take this year's backfield as well.

I would love to see that game!

Theres no question this is the best M team ever. Even the '97 players have said that this would be the best team ever IF they were to finish the job and win the title.

I think this is one of the best teams in college football history as well. I'm sure we'll see more info soon with the fancystats that will compare them to other teams, but I think they will show Michigan pretty favorably against some of the other supposed 'all time greats'. Even if it wasn't the best offense ever, they were still remarkably efficient and coupled with this defense...this is one of the best defenses EVER in CFB history. Right up there with Georgia in '21. What a privilege.

I still think the 2022 team was better. Had we not lost Blake and Mike Morris to injury I think we'd have hoisted the trophy last year. 

Yes.

I feel guilty saying this because I still savor every memory of 1997, but yes.  The 97 defense still has the edge on the 23 defense.  But this year’s offense is head and shoulders above the 97 offense. 

And if I compare myself to both these seasons…1997 me was pretty unhealthy in how I handled my fandom.  Living and dying after every single play.  But 2023 me is still humbled from RichRod and Hoke.  After we were up 17-3 early in the 2nd quarter…I wanted to get excited but all I kept thinking was that things were going too well.  Something bad is bound to happen now.  It wasn’t until the second interception last night that I allowed myself to celebrate.  

I was a junior at Michigan in 1997 and went to every home game that year. Woodson was the best player from both versions, but Team 144 was far and away better than the 1997 squad as a whole. 

I lived every moment of 1997. I have memories dating back to 1985. 

The answer is yes. Best of the modern era. You have to go back to the days of the Mad Magicians to find another Michigan team for whom this argument can be made.

Remarkably, the defense is almost as good as 1997 from a ppg standpoint. The offense is much better. And we faced a tougher schedule and much harder circumstances.

It doesn’t get any better than this. 

I was a senior when we won the 1997 national championship. The weeks leading up to the OSU game and the Rose Bowl are amongst my most cherished young adult memories. Singing the Victors for 20 minutes in a lecture hall with several hundred students waiting for a professor to arrive, rushing the field after we beat OSU, the vibe on campus - just electric. So I have a special affinity for the 1997 team.

And with that said, I have to say that I think that this team is better. Our offense is much more diverse, our defense is every bit as good and our coaching is probably even a step better. Add to that there is just something magical about this squad of seniors and this team as a whole. I’ve been watching sports avidly for over 40 years and I’ve never seen a team embody the concept of a team the way this squad does. My wife always comments when watching them cheering each other on, celebrating after a big play or taking by pics with the Turnover Buffs “they just look like a bunch of little kids having the best time of their lives playing a sport that they love,” and it’s completely true. So yeah, this is the best Michigan team of the modern era. 
 

Here’s another question, though:  Is our defense the best defense of any modern college football team?  Only other one I can think of that might give us a run on that is 2021 Georgia, but I still think that 2023 Michigan has a slight edge. 

Lol

... this isn't a debate on any level. 

My fandom started with legends like Dan Dierdorf, Reggie Mckenzie, and Billy Taylor. Lots of dudes over the years. Team 144 is a team for the ages; all dudes. 

If it isn't the greatest it is up there with the best.  It is hard to compare teams from different eras and the smallest of glitches can keep you from reaching the top of the pedestal.

I still place the 1980 team among the all time greats even though they finished #4 because the losses were at the beginning of the season and by the end of the season the team couldn't be scored against.  They gave up 9 points total in the last five games.  With a 12 team playoff they could have won a championship.

The 1985 team missed a perfect season with a 2 point loss on the road at Iowa and a fluke of tie against Illinois.

In any event we'll be talking about 2023 for a long time to come.

Go Blue!!

Abso-frickin'-lutely!!!

Is that a serious question? 

This team is the embodiment of Bo's "The Team" speech (yes, I know, Bo Knew, but his speech still stands as a great one). They won because nobody played together as team better than they did. This team may not have the greatest players in Michigan history (caveat Blake Corum), but they are the greatest TEAM in Michigan history, or at least in living memory.

15-0. My friend, it’s just not going to get any better than that. 
 

And can we talk about how nice it is, for the love of God, not to hear any more about our “1/2 title” in 1997-98? I always hated that narrative, anyway. Like, what were we supposed to do in the days before the BCS, exactly? 

2003 was excellent and 2006 was crazy, but the scheme wasn't there to fully make use of the talent. 2016 was fantastic but didn't have the offensive weapons. Obviously 97 was incredible. This team has the weapons and the scheme to get them wins. Is it the greatest? Hell yeah. Nothing's better than this feeling.

Charles Woodson thinks so and that's good enough for me.

I'm 44 and as much as I loved '97, this one is definitely the best of my lifetime. 

97 started it for me. I remember drawing roses on the chalkboard with a friend in the 6th grade. But there was no mgoblog back then and I didn’t spend nearly as much time rewatching games, video, and reading about Michigan football as I do now. This team is the best. 15-0 

This year’s defense is better than 97. They have faced offenses of every flavor and have held them all in check.
 

The offense is significantly better with explosive players in all skill positions