The Wolverines beat the favored Chicago Maroons by a 12–11 score in a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write Michigan's fight song "The Victors".

Five Wolverines were chosen as first-team players on Caspar Whitney's All-Western team: William Caley at halfback, Cunningham at center, Steckle at tackle, and Neil Snow and John W. F. Bennett at the ends.

Fullback Leo J. Keena returned from the 1897 team, but he had contracted malaria while serving during the summer of 1898 in the Spanish–American War and was unable to play beyond the fourth game of the season.

Waldo Avery, Charles Widman, Leo J. Keena, Guy Blencoe, and Neil Snow scored touchdowns for Michigan.

Additional Michigan touchdowns were scored by Clayton Teetzel, Clifford Barabee, Allen Steckle, and Fred William Hartsburg.

Charles Widman set up the first touchdown with a 45-yard run around Notre Dame's left end before he was tackled at the three-yard line.

Michigan's second touchdown came late in the first half after Fleming fumbled a punt, and Barabee recovered the ball at the Notre Dame 45-yard line.

Allen Steckle scored the game's first touchdown after seven minutes of play, and Neil Snow kicked the extra point.

The game was played in front of a small crowd at Evanston, Illinois, with Michigan fans seated in newly built stands on the east side of the field.

Northwestern's extra point kick attempt was made into a strong wind and sailed one foot wide of the crossbar.

Alanson Weeks was credited with "brilliant" work and big gains, while Allen Steckle was described as the star of the game with his "smashing plunges.

The Chicago Daily Tribune described Northwestern's goal-line stands as follows:"Many times the Michiganders raised the song of victory as the ball was forced under the shadows of the Northwestern posts, but before the chorus had died away the grim men in purple, fighting frantically to defend the goal, drove back the invaders and punted out of danger.

Then the fierce battering would begin again, Michigan would hurl its weight of muscle and sinew against the crumbling line of purple, and inch by inch the ball would travel back toward the final line; again the chant of victory would rise from the Wolverines only to die away in disappointment, while wild yells poured down under the fluttering ribbons of the Evanston supporters.

The police rushed in and the disturbance was instantly quelled, but eventually Michigan secured the ball and carried it off as a prize to its trophy-room.

The game was played after heavy rains had turned the field at the Detroit Athletic Club into "a veritable sea of mud.

After five minutes of play, "the men were plastered with mud,"[23] and the wet field contributed to poor footing and difficulties handling the ball.

Michigan completed the scoring in the second half with a touchdown drive that included runs of 10 and 15 yards by John McLean and additional gains by Neil Snow, Charles Widman and Allen Steckle.

The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote that Caley's "punting was faultless, and his line bucking set the crowd wild.

"[25] With one of Chicago's coaches (Gale) and its captain (Kennedy) in attendance at the game, the Wolverines played "straight football" with the exception of "a delayed pass and ordinary criss-cross.

Players appearing in the game as substitutes for Michigan were Avery (left tackle), Brown (center), Talcott (quarterback), and Whitcomb (right halfback).

The thermometer was lingering around the freezing mark, but the sky was cloudless, and the northwest wind was too light to interfere with the placing of punts.

Widman was shoved over the goal line for a touchdown, and Neil Snow kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 6 to 0 lead.

Their end and tackle had been drawn in by our men, and when the ball was given to me on a delayed pass I had a clear field, except for Chicago's backs.

Michigan forced Chicago to punt on its final possession, and the Wolverines became champions of the Western Conference for the first time in the school's history.

[30][32] One newspaper noted: "Michigan, with the exception of one or two double passes, relied almost altogether on straight football, line bucking and runs around the end.

President Angell greeted the crowd with a broad smile and said, "I congratulate you on the success of the Michigan team in Chicago this afternoon.

"[36] It was reported that the Michigan students turned out with more enthusiasm than had been shown in Ann Arbor since the 1895 football team returned from a game against Harvard.

[36][37] Michigan's first Western Conference championship attracted the attention of the eastern football experts who selected the All-American teams.

[40] Whitney also named five Michigan players to his All-Western team: Caley at halfback, Cunningham at center, Steckle at tackle, and Snow and Bennett at the ends.

[43][44] Elbel's lyric, "Champions of the West", refers to Michigan's having won the Western Conference championship for the first time in the school's history.