Michigan Lineal Champions Again
Michigan became lineal champions yet again with the win over the Huskies.
If you don't know, the lineal champion follows the format of the boxing lineal championship. Starting with the first college football victory with Rutgers over Princeton, Rutgers became the champion and holds that title until it loses and the team that beats it, in this case Princeton, becomes the new lineal champion until they lose and so on.
To be honest, it makes more sense in boxing where people challenge the champion, but it makes less sense in a sport like football, but anyways...
Times Michigan has held the College Football Lineal Championship:
11/16/1918 Michigan beat Syracuse in Ann Arbor 15-0 (lost it to Ohio State 13-3 10/25/1919 in Ann Arbor)
11/22/1969 Michigan beat Ohio State 24-12 in Ann Arbor (lost it to Southern Cal 10-3 1/1/1970 in Pasadena)
9/23/1972 Michigan beat UCLA 26-9 in Pasadena (lost it to Ohio State 14-11 11/25/1972 in Columbus)
1/1/1981 Michigan beat Washington 23-6 in Pasadena (lost it to Wisconsin 21-14 9/12/1981 in Madison)
10/31/1981 Michigan beat Minnesota 34-13 in Minneapolis (lost it to Ohio State 14-9 11/21/1981 in Ann Arbor)
9/10/1983 Michigan beat Washington State 20-17 in Ann Arbor (lost it to Washington 25-24 9/17/1983 in Seattle)
9/8/1984 Michigan beat Miami Florida 22-14 in Ann Arbor (lost it to Washington 20-11 9/8/1984 in Ann Arbor)
10/25/2003 Michigan beat Purdue 31-3 in Ann Arbor (lost it to Southern Cal 28-14 1/1/2004 in Pasadena)
1/8/2024 Michigan beat Washington 34-13 in Houston.
I was at the 2003 Michigan vs Purdue game and before the game on the golf course there were Spartans and Boilermakers talking trash about how Drew Brees was going to light Michigan up and score 6+ touchdowns. Reality was our defense scored more points than their offense.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:30 PM ^
Big if transitive.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:31 PM ^
All your championships are ours.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:40 PM ^
I like being numero uno.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:40 PM ^
Double-header on 9/8/1984 - Miami, then Washington?
January 12th, 2024 at 6:43 PM ^
Sorry, a typo, Michigan lost it the next weekend on 9/15/1984 to Washington.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:50 PM ^
Washington had it the entire calendar year of 2023. Impressive.
January 12th, 2024 at 6:50 PM ^
Wasn't Orton the QB for Purdue in 2003? Last time Brees was in Ann Arbor was '99. Dudes must've doing doing some drinking....
January 12th, 2024 at 7:15 PM ^
Yeah that was one of my favorite games I've attended, despite the cold drizzle. Braylon skied for a TD and Orton was treated like a rag doll.
January 12th, 2024 at 7:16 PM ^
Good catch...I'm getting old.
January 12th, 2024 at 7:13 PM ^
Finally get payback for Washington taking it from us twice
January 12th, 2024 at 7:14 PM ^
No wonder we lost it to Washington on 9/8/1984! They made us play Washington after we won the title from Miami earlier in the day!
January 12th, 2024 at 8:35 PM ^
In Seattle after a noon(?) game in Ann Arbor!
Anytime, anywhere.
January 12th, 2024 at 7:17 PM ^
Do they get a belt?
January 12th, 2024 at 7:38 PM ^
There was one on the field. I think Will Johnson had it.
January 13th, 2024 at 11:11 AM ^
That's cool. I'm surprised the players actually pay attention to something that obscure
January 12th, 2024 at 8:00 PM ^
Michigan played Wazzu at home in 83 and then at Washington the next week? Who the fuck was making these schedules??
January 12th, 2024 at 8:17 PM ^
Didn't know this was a thing.
Miami had 32 defenses of their title not losing until 2000.
Interesting.
Useless.
The key ingredients of spectator sports.
January 12th, 2024 at 8:22 PM ^
Congratulations. Washington has been involved a lot.
The interesting thing about the boxing analogy is that if we followed boxing completely, the number one team would have to play the number two team every week. Instead of leagues, it’s a ladder. And in that case, the first game next year would be Michigan versus Georgia.
January 12th, 2024 at 8:41 PM ^
I’d start another thread with the marble game results, but they stopped before selection Sunday. I kid, I kid. All your marbles are ours!
January 12th, 2024 at 10:44 PM ^
every time I read this list, I’m just stunned that we played Washington and Washington State in back to back weeks in 1983
January 13th, 2024 at 8:30 AM ^
Looking at the full list the biggest surprise is Oklahoma never held it during their 47 game win streak in the mid 1950s. You would think a bowl opponent or something would've given them a matchup with the current champs at least once.
January 14th, 2024 at 8:09 AM ^
Rutgers did not play the first football game. A Michigan fan historian whose name escapes me studied it and say no way was that game what we recognize as football today. If I'm not mistaken, Brian's pre-season publication published that refutation of the Rutgers claim. Basically, Rutgers made a specious claim, has repeated it forever, nobody ever tried to verify if the claim made sense, and everyone just shrugged their shoulders and said, "OK, they were the first."