Michigan Wolverines Football

When it comes to NCAA college football, the Michigan Wolverines are a big team by any measure. They play their home games  in the Big Ten Conference in the Big House (Michigan Stadium), which has an official capacity of 107,601 but has hosted games topping 115,000, the biggest stadium in the Americas (and third biggest in the world). They have had many big, big players graduate from their ranks, including legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, and have won innumerable big games and championships, including 19 national titles (12 claimed, 7 unclaimed), 45 conference titles, and 23 Bowl games (including the first ever Bowl game played in America, the 1902 Rose Bowl, which they won 49-0 over Stanford Cardinal). None of the 133 Division 1 football teams in the United States have won more games than the Wolverines (1004 wins) and only their fiercest rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, can match their winning percentage (.734). Nine straight Wolverines coaches, spanning a tenure of 90 seasons from 1900-1989, became members of the College Football Hall of Fame. While it would be hard to single out a particular golden age in such an illustrious history, one of the most famous eras for Michigan definitely occurred under head coach Bo Schembechler, who led the team from 1969 to 1989. The first 10 years of his reign saw the Wolverines battle the Buckeyes, who were led by Schembechler’s former boss Woody Hayes, in what is now known as the Ten Year War, where tight games between the teams decided the championship (and trip to the Rose Bowl) in almost every season. In the end, Schembechler led the Wolverines to 13 Big Ten titles in his 21 years at the helm. Recent years have seen glory come to Ann Arbor as well, with former Wolverines and long-time NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh leading the team to three straight conference titles from 2021-23, including a perfect 15-0 season in 2023 in which the team won the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff National Championship to claim their 19th national title. Wolverines fans know that they’ve got a good thing going and show up to their massive stadium in their droves, filling the stands with the team colors of maize yellow and blue. Buildup to Wolverines games starts days or even weeks in advance, with pep rallies, parties, and tailgating all around campus. The roar of the crowd when the team takes to the field or scores is truly something to behold, as is when the fans stand up to sing the “The Victors,” “Seven Nation Army,” or “Mr. Brightside” along with the marching band. Every time a cowbell rings everyone shouts out “Go Blue!” and, whenever the other team is on fourth down, the whole stadium shouts “You suck!” while the band plays a less than complimentary song. Needless to say, while the Wolverines don’t lose often anyway (or not at all in 2023), they lose even less frequently at home.

Michigan Wolverines Rivalries

When you are the biggest, baddest team around, you are bound to make some enemies, and the Michigan Wolverines are no exception to this rule. As detailed above, the Ohio State Buckeyes are probably the most serious challengers to the Wolverines in terms of success and prestige, and the two teams went toe-to-toe in the memorable Ten Year War of the 1970s. Michigan has a 61-51-6 lead in the series overall thus far, but there will no doubt be many heated battles to come. The Wolverines also have a state rivalry with the Michigan State Spartans, against whom they contest the Paul Bunyan-Governor of Michigan Trophy each year. The Wolverines currently hold the trophy after thumping the Spartans 49-0 in 2023. The team also battles the Minnesota Golden Gophers each year for the Little Brown Jug, a small earthenware jug that is the oldest trophy in Division 1 Football. The Wolverines also have fierce rivalries with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Northwestern Wildcats, both immensely successful football programs as well, though Michigan holds considerable leads in the overall series against both adversaries.

Finding Michigan Wolverines Football Tickets

The nice little Michigan town of Ann Arbor might seem an unlikely place to find the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, but there Michigan Stadium stands, towering over the rest of the U-M campus. Despite the massive size of the stadium, sellouts to Michigan Wolverines games are not rare, meaning that it can be difficult to get your hands on the tickets that you want, especially for decisive conference games, rivalry matchups (see above), and Bowl games. Head to TicketX right away to check our listings for the most affordable tickets to Michigan Wolverines games. Our helpful stadium seating chart is the quickest way to compare different seating options in terms of price and location.

Read our tips on How to Get Cheap Michigan Wolverines Football Tickets on TicketX Magazine.