Top 5 Seasons Of Michigan Replay To Go Back And Watch

Michigan's Bentley Library just made two decades worth of Michigan Replay with Bo Schembechler seasons available to go back and relive. Here are our top 5 must-see suggestions.

The Bentley is glad to announce the public release of eighteen years of Michigan Football Replay!

The complete run of the “Bo Show” 1975-1989 and the first three years of the “Mo Show” 1990-1992 are available through the finding aid here: https://t.co/BvrjZOU9dd pic.twitter.com/yHwpDa9Y4y
— UM Bentley Library (@umichBentley) April 10, 2020

In chronological order...

1976
Arguably Bo's best team, these Wolverines were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for eight weeks. Rick Leach took a big step at quarterback as a sophomore, and the backfield of Rob Lytle and Harlan Huckleby dominated all season long. Five different Michigan players made All-American, and 21 players on this team went on to play in the NFL. This team also gave Schembechler one of his most memorable victories -- a 22-0 shutout of Ohio State in Columbus.

1978
Rick Leach won the Chicago Tribune's Silver Football as Big Ten MVP, while finishing third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Leach out-dueled Joe Montana, too, in the reboot of the Notre Dame rivalry after a 35-year hiatus. This season also marked the end of the 10-Year War between Woody and Bo. Truly, 1978 marked the end of an era.

1980
The team that won Bo his first Rose Bowl, which few saw coming after a disappointing 1-2 start via heartbreaking losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina (with eventual Heisman winner George Rogers). But this team rallied behind a dominant defense and the electric passing combination of John Wangler to Anthony Carter -- who had the first of his three consecutive All-American seasons in a winged helmet.

1985
Maybe my all-time personal favorite Michigan team, because it came at a time when the punditry was wondering if the game had passed Bo by following a 6-6 meltdown in 1984. Not to mention a brutal schedule that included the following opponents ranked in the preseason AP Poll: No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 17 South Carolina, No. 7 Maryland, No. 4 Iowa, No. 11 Illinois, and No. 8 Ohio State. Yikes! But thanks to a breakout season from junior quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and one of the most dominant defenses in Michigan history, the Wolverines went from unranked in the preseason to finishing No. 2 in the final poll behind only national champion Oklahoma.

1988
Bo started a season 0-2 for the first time ever, with last-second losses to Notre Dame and Miami (FL), who would go on to finish 1-2 in the country in the final polls. After blowing a 30-14 lead to the Hurricanes, Bo vowed "you've just seen the Big Ten champions play" to give his beleaguered team a vote of confidence. The message was received, and the Wolverines ended up winning the outright Big Ten title and then upsetting USC to win Bo's second Rose Bowl.