Ranking The Top-5 Games In Michigan Football History

College football has produced some of the most memorable moments in North American sports history. Every program worth its salt has a catalogue of incredible comebacks, bowl game shenanigans, and rivalry game whoopings. The University of Michigan, as one of the most historically recognizable college football teams ever, has its fair share of games that fit into the above categories.

Picking the best games in Michigan's history is a tough task, given the sheer volume of options, but the games below represent some of the greatest moments in the program's history of more than a century.

The rivalry between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines feels age-old, but it truly intensified during this game in 1969. Ohio State was the first-ranked team in the nation and seemed to be on the road to a second straight national championship. The Buckeyes were welcomed to Ann Arbor by an upstart Michigan team led by head coach Bo Schembechler in his first season wearing the maize and blue.

To say that the Wolverines were underdogs does not entirely capture the lopsided nature of the matchup, as Ohio State was widely talked about as one of, if not the, best college football team of all time. Schembechler and his players must not have heard all of that talk, given that they promptly delivered a 24-12 beating to deny the Buckeyes the national championship, pushing the rivalry to a fever pitch while putting Michigan back on the college football map.

Given that the Wolverines took home the national championship here, one would think that it deserves a higher place on the list. However, Michigan opened the game by jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

In what ended up being a blowout win, the Wolverines got 238 rushing yards and four combined touchdowns from the running back duo of Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum, while the defense played one of its best games of the season. Fans will always appreciate this contest because of its sheer magnitude, but it was not a particularly entertaining game to watch.

It's no surprise that a rivalry game makes it on this list. While the hatred between Michigan State and Michigan is small potatoes compared to the legendary Ohio State rivalry, there is, of course, still a high degree of animosity between the two programs. That animosity, and the intense competitiveness that it creates, was on full display when the Spartans came to the Big House to face the 12th-ranked Wolverines in 2004.

What ensued was the football equivalent of an all-out brawl, particularly in the fourth quarter. Michigan was down 27-10 with just under nine minutes remaining on the clock and proceeded to mount a massive comeback on the arm of quarterback Chad Henne. The Wolverines just managed to force overtime, and then another overtime, before sealing a dramatic victory with a successful two-point conversion in the third extra period of the game. This game is easily one of the two most iconic matchups between the in-state rivals, and the only one that went the Wolverines' way.

There are seldom games that are more important than this one. The second-ranked Buckeyes came to town to do battle with the fifth-ranked Wolverines with a chance to play for the Big Ten title, and a potential college football playoff seed, on the line. To make things even more intense, Michigan had not beaten its hated rival in eight seasons, and had never won the all-important game under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who entered the contest with an 0-5 record against Ohio State.

With everything on the line, the Wolverines answered the bell. Running back Hassan Haskins scored five touchdowns while the ever-tenacious Michigan defense forced the Buckeyes to earn every square inch of grass. Harbaugh's offense gave Michigan the lead with four minutes left in the second quarter and blew the doors off from there, winning 42-27 in one of the biggest games in Wolverines history, punctuated by a classic rushing of the field from the fans in maize and blue.

A battle of two blue-blood programs is always a fantastic watch, and this contest was no exception. The Wolverines met the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl with an opportunity to play in the national championship on the line. Both teams traded punches through the opening stages of the contest en route to a trip to overtime.

The Wolverines got the ball first in overtime, a possession that ended with a Blake Corum touchdown. Alabama's chance at tying things up would go on to become one of the most recognizable sequences in Michigan's history, as the defense forced a fourth and goal from the two-yard line. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe darted forward on a designed run and was promptly met by a host of Wolverine defenders who stopped him well short of the goal line.

The image of Michigan's players, helmets off and arms out in celebration, rushing towards midfield as the sideline emptied, will forever remain in the hearts of Wolverine fans and college football fans everywhere.

There are countless other games that could be featured on this list, but the five listed above retain the hallmarks of memorable contests, especially for Michigan fans. Three huge rivalry wins over hated opponents, a national championship victory, and one of the most entertaining, exhilarating wins in modern college football history round out a fantastic list full of iconic moments for the Wolverines.