Michigan's first AP Top 10 matchup since...

Submitted by 1464 on

Tomorrow will be the first time Michigan has been in a top 10 matchup since...

...any guesses?

The answer is - 9/1/12.  Coming off a BCS bowl win, Michigan (8) got blown out by Nick Saban and Alabama (2).  Not exactly a fun memory for me.  Granted, we were a fake top 10 team that year.  We have to go back almost a decade TO THE LLOYD CARR ERA to see legit top 10 games.  And even then they were rare.

Here are the top ten matchups that Michigan has been in since 2000, as well as the result.  None of this has any bearing on tomorrow's game, but still nice to look back at our history with important games.  I'm shocked at home infrequent our top 10 games have been.  This will be our first home top 10 matchup in 13 years.  It's also our last win in a top 10 matchup, so let's hope we break the trend.

9/1/12   (8)  ns  (2) Alabama  L, 14-41
1/1/07  (3)  ns  (8) USC  L, 18-32
11/18/06  (2)  at  (1) OSU  L, 39-42
1/1/04  (4)  ns (1) USC  L, 14-28
11/22/03  (5)  vs (4) OSU  W, 35-21

 

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Tater

September 30th, 2016 at 2:04 PM ^

Wiscy could prove to be a "fake top ten" team.  They beat an LSU team that ran almost every first and second down against a nine man box and a Sparty team that may not be nearly as good as people thought they were.  

Saturday, we will find out whether Wiscy is a solid top ten team or maybe a 10-20 team, which is more of what I thought at the beginning.  As long as Michigan wins, either option is fine with me.

Joined: 08/13/2008

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drzoidburg

September 30th, 2016 at 3:34 PM ^

Lol they have proven much more than us (unless Colorado runs the table). They thrashed the defending conference champs on the road. We haven't even played on the road, and to even schedule LSU takes balls

Joined: 09/20/2015

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canzior

September 30th, 2016 at 4:16 PM ^

"proven" anything.  If they lose 3 games the rest of the way...maybe 4 without a kicker, which is at least a strong possibility...will you feel like beating MSu and LSu "proved" something?  LSU is AWFUL this year..and MSU is ranked because of disrespekt" only.  Not talent...or recruiting.

Joined: 05/28/2010

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wildbackdunesman

September 30th, 2016 at 5:39 PM ^

No disrespect intended towards Wisconsin, but they didn't exactly thrash MSU.  MSU in fact outgained Wisconsin in yards. 

Wisconsin returned a fumble more than 50 yards for a TD when MSU appeared to be on a scoring drive for at least a FG.  Then a dropped punt put Wisconsin at the 7 yard line.  Take away those two plays and that final MSU drive that stalled inside the redzone could have been looking to tie the game.

Yes, Wisconsin won fair and square...but the stats indicate that it wasn't a "thrashing."

Joined: 07/16/2008

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FGB

September 30th, 2016 at 10:16 PM ^

Yeah I watched the Fooball in 60 last night for MSU Wisconsin and while I would argue UW was better, that game really wasn't one sided outside a handful of plays (botched punt inside the 10, 60 yard fumble return for TD, MSU self destruction in the red zone, couple THISCLOSE long passes to Corley)

Joined: 09/24/2009

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ChiCityWolverine

September 30th, 2016 at 2:44 PM ^

Idk man. We haven't spent a ton of time in the top 10 ourselves in my 14-ish years following the program. In the seasons since that 2003 win over OSU:

2015: Losses to MSU and OSU kept us from ever creeping into it (highest in AP #12)
2013-14: uh, no
2012: Top 10 loss to Bama exposed us, never returned
2011: Never reached (climbed to #9 in final coaches)
2008-10: HA
2007: Never forget, did climb back to #13 before loss at unranked Wisconsin
2006: Top 10 Losses to OSU and USC, did stomp #2 ND as #11 team before storming through a weak Big Ten
2005: #3 M loses at home to a solid ND team early, never returns to Top 10
2004: #8 M loses at mediocre and unranked ND early, returns to Top 10 late only to fall to unranked OSU

I count five seasons we never sniffed the Top 10 (08, 09, 10, 13, 14). Four that were derailed early with varying degrees of success after (04, 05, 07, 12). Two that saw us as late risers under new coaches but didn't quite reach Top 10 level (11, 15). And 2006, maybe our best team since 1997 until this year. 

I'm not blaming our opponents for Michigan being irrelevant nationally for most of the past decade. 

Joined: 07/08/2011

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UMxWolverines

September 30th, 2016 at 6:04 PM ^

The majority of the time we would get into the top ten under Lloyd we would fall out of it with a loss or two and spend the rest of the season trying to get back into it. Your super guide should be able to tell you that. That's why this season and 2006 are something special...we are actually competing for the best of the best. Something we have rarely done since 1997. Hopefully we can put together a streak like we haven't seen since the 1970s.

Joined: 03/01/2009

MGoPoints: 65474

drzoidburg

September 30th, 2016 at 3:39 PM ^

Not in conference, but scheduling better OOC and being ranked top 10 ourselves (rare the past 10 years) and having good enough seasons for a top bowl is all within a team's control. Then consider Michigan tends to be overanked if anything (like 2012) There are 2 other top 10 matches this week alone, so it's not that difficult

Joined: 09/20/2015

MGoPoints: 2220

Swazi

September 30th, 2016 at 2:08 PM ^

I really don't count Bama/Michigan at Jerryworld.  UM was sooooo overrated in that. 

 

The last true top twn vs top 10 that involved Michigan was 1 vs 2.

Joined: 08/13/2010

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1974

September 30th, 2016 at 2:33 PM ^

Snap out of it. I flog this point a little too often, probably, but that season was partly a mirage. If ND wasn't -- as always -- so overrated in that early game, the expectations would have been more realistic. The bowl games (OSU's and ours) showed how much the rankings (#1 vs. #2 in The Game) were worth.

Joined: 04/17/2011

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Human Torpedo

September 30th, 2016 at 8:44 PM ^

Yes, Florida deserved the title game invite over us. But we were winning by up to 17 point a game until Ohio St, and ND still won 10 games that year and Ohio St won at Austin against the defending champs. "Game of the Century" deserved its hype at that point. The teams ran out of stamina at the finish line. The season can take a long toll on even the best teams

Joined: 01/15/2016

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LSAClassOf2000

September 30th, 2016 at 2:22 PM ^

I was pretty trashed by halftime admittedly, so I can only recall bits and pieces of the 2nd half of that game. The overall tenor of the memories is, of course, less than optimal.

I think that might have been one of the several times in the Hoke era that I drank as a bracer for the actual game itself, pretty confident that the game was not a good idea.

Joined: 01/07/2011

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WolverineHistorian

September 30th, 2016 at 2:25 PM ^

The ESPN scroll at the bottom of the screen last week in regards to this game said that Michigan has lost 12 straight to top ten ranked teams. My first thought was that's embarrassing. My next thought was, that makes sense. The program had been in the crapper this past decade. We were beating UMass 42-37 and UConn 24-21, Akron 28-24, Illinois 67-65, etc. Of course your record against top competition is going to suck when you have to constantly battle for your life to the final second against the cupcakes.

Joined: 08/10/2009

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MotownGoBlue

September 30th, 2016 at 3:06 PM ^

Won't even mention talented teams losing to the likes of Appy St., or transitional teams losing to the likes of Toledo. Yup, it's been a decade since we fielded a national contender. ESPN aired another beautiful graphic this afternoon in regards to those stats vs our last thirteen, Top 10 opponents: RichRod (1-5) Hoke (0-5) Harbaugh (0-2) Gotta flip that script, yesterday.

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