Opinion Roundtable: Michigan's Best Non-1997 Football Team

If you ask 100 Michigan fans to name the best Wolverines team in their lifetime, more than 90 are going to pick the 1997 squad. So after that group, who is the best team in most fans' lifetime? We discuss...

Brandon Brown

I do think more than 90 people would pick the 1997 team as the most talented, and just as many might also pick the 2006 team as the second-most talented squad since 1984, the year I was born.

As the other guys will soon say, the team was absolutely loaded with talent and got off to an incredible 11-0 start. Obviously the team lost the biggest game of the year when they traveled to Columbus to take on the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes, but it was only by three, on the road and, of course, the day after Bo Schembechler died.

With future pros like Alan Branch, Steve Breaston, Prescott Burgess, Shawn Crable, Leon Hall, David Harris, Jake Long, Mario Manningham and LaMarr Woodley, along with Michigan superstar Mike Hart, the Wolverines were absolutely loaded. The loss to Ohio State and then the bowl loss against USC put a damper on an incredible season, but the team was absolutely stacked and would give any U-M team ever a run for its money.

Steve Deace

My lifetime as a Michigan fan began in 1983 when we moved to Grand Rapids and I fell in love with the maize and blue. That's a span of 37 years and counting now, and in that time the next greatest team to 1997 I've seen was the 1985 squad that started the season unranked but finished No. 2 in the country. Bo Schembechler's highest-finish in the AP poll in his illustrious career. That team had future Heisman finalist Jim Harbaugh leading the nation in pass efficiency, future all-time leading rusher Jamie Morris gaining a thousand yards, and one of the most dominant defenses in modern college football history. It allowed only 8 points per game, held five opponents to three points or less, and didn't give up more than 17 points until the Fiesta Bowl. And they did it against the toughest schedule in the country that year. The Wolverines faced teams ranked 4th (Iowa), 7th (Maryland), 8th (Ohio State), 9th (Nebraska), 11th (Illinois), 14th (Notre Dame), and 17th (South Carolina) in the preseason AP Poll. Seven starters on that team would be named All-American at some point during their careers, too.

Eric Rutter

Not counting the 1997 Michigan squad, the most talented Wolverines team of my lifetime would have to be the 2006 edition. Starting the season 11-0, Michigan fielded a dominant offense with impact players all over the field. Under center, junior Chad Henne kept defenses honest with his clear connection to receivers Steve Breaston, Adrian Arrington, Greg Matthews and Mario Manningham. That year, Henne logged over 2,500 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, making some key throws along the way. Not to be outdone, running back Mike Hart created a balanced and productive offense with 1,562 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the year.

But that Michigan team was littered with impact players. Jake Long anchored the offensive line. LaMarr Woodley, Tim Jamison, Alan Branch and a young Brandon Graham populated the defensive line. Leon Hall and Morgan Trent were shutdown defensive backs for the Wolverines. And if not for an errant late hit out of bounds by Shawn Crable against Ohio State, Michigan would have had a chance to play for a national championship that year.

Michael Spath

I am inclined to say the 1999 team after reflecting on this quite a bit. They lost two games by a combined nine points, at Michigan State (a team that went 10-2) and a week later at home to an Illinois team that finished 8-4. Michigan then went on to beat Ohio State and Alabama in the bowl game. And that team was loaded with future NFL players (Tom Brady, David Terrell, Steve Hutchinson, Jeff Backus, Anthony Thomas, Aaron Shea, James Hall, Ian Gold, Dhani Jones, Cato June) and some other very good holdovers from the 1997 team. But I don't like the fact that they lost back-to-back, not rallying from defeat, and losing to an unranked Illini team at home. They also beat an Ohio State team that finished 6-6.

I'm going with the 2006 team. 11-0 to start the year, No. 2 in the country, and it loses by three on the road at Ohio State, just 24 hours after the football program patriarch, Bo Schembechler, passes away. That 2006 team was loaded with future NFL players too (Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Steve Breaston, Jake Long, LaMarr Woodley, Alan Branch, David Harris, Shawn Crable, Prescott Burgess, Leon Hall and Ryan Mundy). Had the 2006 team bested USC in the Rose Bowl it probably would have finished No. 2 nationally and maybe even received a few sympathy votes for No. 1. It didn't. The Wolverines lost by 14 after failing to make adjustments at the half. So in some ways, the 1999 and 2006 team are similar - they suffered a crushing loss and couldn't find the proper motivation to rise back up in their next game. But I have no doubt these have been the two most talented teams of my lifetime (other than 1997) and 2006 gets the slight edge because it lost to better teams than the 1999 squad did.