Five Memorable Season Openers in Michigan Football History

Finally, football season is here. The Michigan Wolverines will kick off their season this week under first year head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Michigan has had some memorable season openers in the history of their program. Some were happy moments as we’ll outline shortly. There is also one season opener that will live in infamy. Michigan’s loss to Appalachian State in 2007 still reverberates across college football as arguably the greatest upset in the history of the sport.

That would be the last season opener that Lloyd Carr ever coached as he retired at the end of the season, and Michigan’s program went into a tailspin.

This list, however, is looking at the most memorable season openers in which Michigan came out on top.

1997 vs Colorado

Michigan and Colorado have had some memorable matchups in the past, with Michigan reeling from defeat in 1994 when Kordell Stewart completed a 64-yard hail mary as time expired.

This time around, there would be nothing left to the imagination. Michigan’s dominant defense that would lead the team to a national championship was dominant against Colorado’s hapless offense.

Brian Griese threw two touchdown passes, and threw for 258 yards.

Michigan led 10-0 at halftime before a 14-point third quarter put this game on ice.

This was a marquee matchup to begin the season. Colorado was a popular choice to win the national championship that year, while some pundits around the world were claiming the block M for Michigan stood for mediocrity.

Nothing was mediocre about the Wolverines on this Saturday afternoon. Nor was anything mediocre about that 1997 team, as they have an argument to be the greatest team in the history of the program. That started with a blowout win over the Buffaloes.

2017 vs Florida

The most memorable season opener in Jim Harbaugh’s tenure came in 2017 when they took on the Florida Gators in a marquee matchup.

Michigan was coming off a disappointing end to the 2016 season with losses to Ohio State and Florida State to finish an otherwise very good second season under Harbaugh.

Wilton Speight was the starting quarterback on that day, and hit super freshman wide receiver Tarik Black for a big touchdown early in the game.

The good was overshadowed by bad as Speight would throw two consecutive pick-sixes to put Michigan in a 17-10 hole.

Those would be the last points that Florida would score that day. Michigan trailed 17-13 at halftime, but blew the Gators away in the second half with 20 unanswered points, highlighted by a punishing sack from Chase Winovich that lead to a defensive touchdown.

The 2017 season did not lead to a Big Ten title or anything significant thanks to an injury to Speight, but this was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year.

2002 vs Washington

The season opener in 2002 was against Washington, and it was a day where everything ended up decided by a kicker.

Michigan led 14-13 at halftime on the strength of big plays from Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards.

The two teams would trade blows in the second half, with the Huskies holding a 29-28 lead with less than a minute to play.

John Navarre was asked to put together a drive for kicker Phillip Brabbs to make a game-winning field goal.

Navarre got the Wolverines into scoring range for a 44-yard attempt that was no sure thing. Brabbs was already 0-2 on the day.

He finished the day 1-3, but made the one that count. Booting the ball through the uprights as time expired, and sending the Big House into a frenzy.

2010 vs Connecticut

The 2010 season opener was not particularly memorable from a scoring standpoint. Michigan crushed Connecticut 30-10 in what would be the final season of Rich Rodriguez’s disastrous tenure.

What it was, however, was a full introduction to someone who would become a shining light in a dark period for Michigan football.

Denard Robinson won the job as the team’s starting quarterback prior to that season beginning, and he showed why early and often against a hapless UCONN defense.

Robinson threw for 186 yards, and added an eye-popping 197 on the ground. He scored both through the air and on the ground as well.

Robinson’s 197 rushing yards were the most a quarterback had ever accumulated in the history of the program.

Michigan did not have a lot of highlights during Rodriguez’s tenure, but like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Robinson was Michigan’s only hope.

He showed why that day.

1995 vs Virginia

This game in the mid 1990s became simply known as “The Comeback.”

Michigan did not look like it had much hope going into the fourth quarter. Tiki Barber was running around, over, and through Michigan’s defense as their offense sputtered under true freshman quarterback Scott Dreisbach.

Dreisbach found his rhythm in the fourth quarter as Michigan went into fastbreak mode.

He threw two touchdown passes to pull Michigan within five points at 17-12, with one last chance to have the ball in his hands.

With four seconds remaining, Dreisbach found Mercury Hayes, who made a circus catch to catapult the Wolverines over the Cavaliers. They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

#Michigan captured its first win overseas on Thursday, and while the Wolverines won, all eyes are on Brandon McCoy Jr., who left the game after 20 seconds of action.

Here are my 4 observations.

STORY: https://t.co/k2tB32jysj pic.twitter.com/mOjMkz8vY8
— Trent Knoop (@TrentKnoop) August 27, 2026

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