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Michigan is the defending national champion in college football. The Wolverines also are an outlaw program.
Two things can be true at once.
No one can fictionalize UM’s title. Even if the college football police try to confiscate the trophy – and they won’t – Wolverines fans know the Maize and Blue defeated four consecutive ranked opponents last season, and five in their last six games, on the way to claiming the school’s first natty since 1997. It happened. It can’t unhappen.
Removing championship banners appeases authorities and somewhat defangs outraged fans, but it’s like removing the cookie jar after the cookies have been eaten.
At the same time, history’s footnotes may appear in small print, but never are forgotten, often to the chagrin of the home fans.
In the Fifth Down Game of 1990, a Big Eight officiating crew mistakenly gave Colorado an extra down, and the Buffaloes scored as time expired to defeat Missouri 33-31. Colorado went on to finish the season 11-1-1 and share the national poll titles with Georgia Tech.
Buffs fans still celebrate their championship. Others are not so sure. A botched call is not the same as cheating, but history is not always adept at offering nuance.
Florida fans embrace their team’s 2008 national championship, but check the footnotes – 41 players from that roster have been arrested. That factoid seemingly has little to do with how the Gators performed on the field, but it raises eyebrows nonetheless. Should some of UF’s players have been allowed to play?
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel holds up the championship trophy after the Buckeyes beat Miami 31-24 in two overtimes in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, ending OSU’s 34-year national-title drought.
Miami fans still claim Ohio State stole the 2002 national title from them when Terry Porter robbed the Hurricanes by throwing a late…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-wolverines-defending-national-champions-123701386.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-08-13 12:37:01
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