Texas Is First Non-Conference Top-10 Visitor Since ‘Miracle at Michigan’

Michigan football is hosting its first top 10 non-conference opponent in 30 years on Saturday with No. 4 Texas strolling in for their first meeting since the 2005 Rose Bowl.

The last time a top 10 team outside the Big Ten came to the Big House, it was 1994 and No. 7 Colorado visited the No. 4 Wolverines. The game is memorable for all the wrong reasons in Ann Arbor. Michigan took a 26-14 lead into to the fourth quarter with the score remaining the same until the final minutes.

Colorado got the ball back with under four minutes left and drove down the field to pull within five points with 2:16 remaining on the clock. After recovering an onside kick, the Wolverines couldn’t ice the game with a first down.

With just 14 seconds on the game clock, the Buffaloes regained possession needing to go 85 yards. After a 21-yard completion took eight seconds off the clock, they stopped the clock. All-American quarterback Kordell Stewart then completed one of the most improbable Hail Mary plays in college football history, connecting with his All-American wideout Michael Westbrook.

The heartbreaking loss was dubbed the Miracle at Michigan.

Michigan opens week as 6.5-point underdogs

Now, with that history in mind, the Wolverines host a loaded Longhorns team as the next top-10 non-conference visitor. While U-M didn’t face much of a challenge in Week 1, there were areas for concern.

They were up by just six points midway through the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns pushed the score to 30-10. Despite a defense that looked dominant, the offense struggled to move the ball, accounting for just 269 yards of total offense.

Meanwhile, Texas was dominant, putting a 52-0 beatdown on Colorado State. Their offense produced 545 total yards and 7 touchdowns. That has led to Michigan opening the week as a 6.5-point underdog for their Week 2 matchup. While the Ann Arbor crowd will be raucous, the Wolverines will need to start strong against a tough early season opponent.

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