Michigan has won or shared 45 league titles, and since the inception of the AP poll in 1936, has finished in the top ten a total of 39 times.

Fritz Crisler brought his winged helmet from Princeton University in 1938 and led the 1947 Wolverines to a national title and Michigan's second Rose Bowl win.

Harbaugh led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances during his final three years as head coach, from 2021 to 2023.

[14] On their way to a game in Chicago in 1887, Michigan players stopped in South Bend, Indiana and introduced football to students at the University of Notre Dame.

[21] The streak was finally halted at the end of the 1905 season by Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons, a team that went on to win two Big 9 (as the Western Conference was now being called with the addition of Iowa and Indiana) titles in the next three years.

The game was lost in the final ten minutes of play when Denny Clark was tackled for a safety as he attempted to return a punt from behind the goal line.

[19] Legend has it that the rotunda at Ohio Stadium is painted with maize flowers on a blue background due to the outcome of the 1922 dedication game.

[43] Michigan invited him to name his price, and Crisler demanded what he thought would be unacceptable: the position of athletic director when Yost stepped down and the highest salary in college football.

[43] Upon arriving at Michigan, Crisler introduced the winged football helmet, ostensibly to help his players find the receivers down field.

[21] Yet, Crisler's biggest mark on the game of football was made in 1945, when Michigan faced a loaded Army squad that featured two Heisman trophy winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis.

Crisler didn't feel that his Michigan team could match up with Army, so he opted to take advantage of a 1941 NCAA rule that allowed players to enter or leave at any point during the game.

[18][19][34] The 1947 team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians" due to their use of two-platoon football, capped their season with a 49–0 victory over the USC Trojans in the 1948 Rose Bowl.

[62] Michigan lost 12–10,[19] but did not lose another game the rest of the season to finish at 10–1–1 with a victory over Tom Osborne's Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl.

Moeller led Michigan to a 9–3 record in his first season,[21] tying for the Big Ten championship but losing out on a Rose Bowl bid to Iowa.

[18][21] In 1991, Desmond Howard had a memorable season that propelled him to win the Heisman Trophy, the award given to college football's most outstanding player.

[88][19][21] Carr got over the hump against Tressel in 2003 as John Navarre and Doak Walker Award winner Chris Perry led the Wolverines to a 10–3 record,[89] a Big Ten championship, and an appearance in the 2004 Rose Bowl.

[95] Standout players Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Jake Long all opted to return for their senior seasons for one last crack at Ohio State and a chance at a national championship, causing Michigan to be ranked fifth in the preseason polls.

[96] However, Michigan's struggles against the spread offense reared its ugly head again as the Wolverines shockingly lose the opener to the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

[102] In the 2008 Capital One Bowl, Carr's final game, Michigan defeated the defending national champion Florida Gators, led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, 41–35.

[18][19][34] Following Carr's retirement, Michigan launched a national coaching search that ultimately saw Rich Rodriguez lured away from his alma mater, West Virginia.

Starting wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington both decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the NFL Draft.

[121][122] Harbaugh, who was a starting quarterback for the Wolverines in the mid-1980s under Bo Schembechler, had most recently served as head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

Jabrill Peppers, who played linebacker and defensive back as well as special teams and offense, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fifth.

In a top-five showdown, Michigan used a dominant second half performance to beat Ohio State 42–27, giving the Wolverines their first win against the Buckeyes since 2011, and a berth into their first-ever Big Ten Championship Game.

As the second seed in the College Football Playoff, the Wolverines lost the semifinal in the Orange Bowl to the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs 34–11, finishing the season 12–2.

[145][146] The ensuing controversy led to the firing of linebackers coach Chris Partridge and the commissioner, Tony Petitti, imposing a suspension of Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season.

[153] Harbaugh then coached Michigan to a 34–13 victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship, setting a single-season program record with 15 wins and zero losses for the season.

[178] The rivalry is notable due to the historical success of the football programs, as Michigan and Notre Dame both claim 12 national championships each.

The trophy honors George Jewett, the first African American player in Big Ten Conference history, having played for both schools.

Michigan went on to win 24-15 in Beaver Stadium under then-acting head coach Sherrone Moore, propelling the Wolverines to a national championship that season.