Big Ten Football: Picking the best season for each program since 2000
By Shane Lunnen
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 2003. player. 811. Record: 10-3. Michigan Wolverines. 5
Michigan has a storied history and Hall of Famer Lloyd Carr coached the Wolverines from 1995-2007. Since Carr’s retirement, the Wolverines have gone through three head coaches with mixed results. There were several double-digit win seasons to choose from, but ultimately it came to selecting a year the Wolverines not only won a conference title but also beat their hated rival Ohio State.
The 2003 season started off on the right foot for the fourth-ranked Wolverines. They went 3-0 while outscoring their opponents 133-10, including a 38-0 shutout of 15th ranked Notre Dame. Michigan would then travel to Oregon and suffer their first defeat of the season.
After a home victory over Indiana, the Wolverines would hit the road again and find themselves in the loss column for the second time, a 30-27 defeat to Iowa. With their season teetering on the brink, the Wolverines would next face Minnesota on the road for the Little Brown Jug.
The 17th ranked Golden Gophers had not beat the Wolverines in 14 years and they were hungry to end the losing streak. Running back tandem Lawrence Maroney and Marion Barber III led the Gophers out to a 14-0 halftime lead and would lead at the end of the 3rd quarter 28-7. Michigan had a huge fourth quarter comeback to tie the game at 35 and Wolverine kicker Garrett Rivas kicked the game winner with less than 50 seconds left to retain the Jug and keep the season from falling off the rails.
The Wolverines would win the next four, including a close win in East Lansing against bitter rival Michigan State. They would be ranked No. 5 in the country heading into The Game against the fourth ranked Buckeyes. In the 100th meeting between the two schools, the Wolverines would never trail. Behind 154 yards and two touchdowns from Heisman contender Chris Perry, Michigan would win 35-21.
As Big Ten champion, the Wolverines earned a trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl. They would face top ranked USC. In one of many BCS controversies, the Trojans were No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls yet finished third in the BCS standings due to a weaker schedule and one defeat to an unranked California.
The Trojans took out their disappointment of missing a national championship shot on the Wolverines. USC built a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter, on their way to a 28-14 victory.
Despite the Rose Bowl loss, Michigan won the Big Ten and beat both their chief rivals Ohio State and Michigan State. It is the Wolverines last outright conference championship as they shared the title the following season with Iowa.