What is Michigan‘s Record Against SEC Teams? A Detailed Historical Guide

Hi there! As a longtime Michigan Wolverines fan, I wanted to provide you with a deep dive into our record against the powerhouses of the Southeastern Conference. Strap in, because we‘ve had some epic battles against SEC foes over the decades.

Overall Record Against the SEC

Throughout Michigan‘s prestigious football history, we‘ve taken on 11 different SEC programs. Our all-time record against the conference stands at a solid 24-17-1. We hold winning records against 7 SEC teams:

• Florida: 4-1-1
• LSU: 3-3-1
• Tennessee: 4-3
• Vanderbilt: 11-0
• Kentucky: 3-0-1
• Mississippi State: 1-1
• South Carolina 1-0

The four SEC squads that have gotten the better of us are Alabama (1-4), Auburn (1-2), Georgia (3-9) and Ole Miss (1-2). But as you‘ll see, we‘ve still had some epic back-and-forth battles with these teams over the years.

Diving Into the Key Matchups

Now let‘s take a deeper look at some of our most frequent and famous showdowns with SEC adversaries:

Florida

We dominate this series 4-1-1 overall. In recent years, we‘ve beaten the Gators in two thrilling Citrus Bowl matchups:

• 2016 Citrus Bowl: Michigan 41, Florida 7 – RB Karan Higdon racked up 222 yards rushing as we dominated this game from start to finish.
• 2015 Citrus Bowl: Michigan 41, Florida 35 – QB Jake Rudock launches a go-ahead 45-yard TD pass with 6:06 left as we withstand a Florida comeback attempt.

Our lone loss to Florida came in the 2007 Capital One Bowl when they edged us 41-35.

LSU

This historic rivalry is deadlocked at 3-3-1 heading into any future matchups. Here are some of the most memorable moments from past battles with the Bayou Bengals:

• 2002 Citrus Bowl: Michigan 40, LSU 34 – QB John Navarre hits WR Chris Perry for a 60-yard TD with 2:18 left to provide the winning margin.
• 1956 Orange Bowl: Michigan 20, LSU 7 – The Wolverines cap an undefeated season by defeating LSU in the Orange Bowl.
• 1987 Hall of Fame Bowl: LSU 28, Michigan 24 – The Bayou Bengals rally from 17-3 halftime deficit to hand us a tough bowl loss.

Tennessee

We hold a narrow 4-3 advantage over the Volunteers in this competitive series:

• 2004 Citrus Bowl: Michigan 45, Tennessee 37 – QB Chad Henne tosses four TD passes as we hold off the Vols‘ second-half comeback attempt.
• 1993 Citrus Bowl: Tennessee 38, Michigan 6 – The Vols hand us a rare lopsided loss in what was the largest margin of victory in Citrus Bowl history.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide lead this matchup 4-1, though we did enjoy a dominant victory in Ann Arbor back in 1988:

• 1988 Regular Season: Michigan 31, Alabama 0 – The Wolverines defense shuts down Alabama in the Big House for our largest margin of victory in the series.
• 2000 Orange Bowl: Alabama 35, Michigan 34 (OT) – The Tide overcame a 14-point 4th quarter deficit to stun us in overtime.

Georgia

The Bulldogs control this series 9-3. However, we won the first-ever meeting back in 1902 and picked up a memorable Rose Bowl victory in 1948:

• 1902 Regular Season: Michigan 12, Georgia 6 – RB Willie Heston runs for three TDs as we win the inaugural matchup in Ann Arbor.
• 1948 Rose Bowl: Michigan 49, Georgia 7 – The Wolverines dominate the Bulldogs, compiling 491 rushing yards in Pasadena.

How We‘ve Fared Lately

Under coach Jim Harbaugh, we are 1-3 against SEC foes, with an Outback Bowl victory over Florida but losses to Florida, Alabama and South Carolina. Overall since 2000, our record is 7-7 when facing off against the SEC.

The Alabama defeats sting the most for us Michigan fans, as Nick Saban has had our number. We long for the day we can knock off Bama and reestablish dominance in this rivalry.

Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Game of the Century

Now I can‘t talk Michigan football without mentioning the big one – the rivalry against Ohio State. It‘s arguably the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Here‘s a quick rundown:

• Overall Record: OSU leads 59-51-6
• Recent Domination: Ohio State has won 10 of the last 12 meetings
• Most Iconic Games: The #1 vs #2 "Game of the Century" matchups in 2006 and 2016 won by the Buckeyes

The truth is Ohio State has had the better of us lately. But that just gets me more fired up for the next battle in the Big House. We need to restore the glory in this rivalry game!

Georgia vs. Florida: The World‘s Largest Cocktail Party

Since we‘re facing Georgia in the Orange Bowl this year, let‘s look at their biggest rival. The Florida Gators lead the all-time series over the Bulldogs 52–44–2. Florida has really dominated recently, winning six of the last seven meetings.

This will be a great early test for us to see how we stack up with the best of the SEC. I like our chances!

How the Big Ten Stacks Up Against the SEC

For some conference bragging rights, the Big Ten holds a slight 8-11 edge over the SEC in bowl matchups. The overall record is 54–43–3 in favor of the Big Ten. We more than hold our own against the SEC on the gridiron!

Final Thoughts

Whew, we covered a lot of ground there reliving all of our classic SEC battles over the decades. The quality of football is always top-notch when we take on SEC schools, and I expect nothing less in our Orange Bowl showdown. We‘ve proven we can hang with the best the SEC offers.

This Wolverines fan can‘t wait to add another amazing chapter to Michigan‘s SEC history books. Whether we face Georgia or Alabama, let‘s bring that national championship back to the Big House where it belongs!

Go Blue!