The Michigan Wolverines lead college football history in wins (1,022). The Texas Longhorns (970) rank 5th. Despite their immense all-time success, they’ve only tangled with one another twice. That changes on New Year’s Eve, when the Wolverines and Longhorns battle in the Citrus Bowl.
Texas is undefeated against Michigan in their 2 previous matchups. Their first contest, the 2005 Rose Bowl, was the stuff of legend. The Longhorns prevailed over the Wolverines 38-37 on a last-second 37-yard field goal from Dusty Mangum, setting the stage for them to win the national championship in the same venue versus USC the next year. Their second game came in Ann Arbor in 2024, where Texas defeated Michigan 31-12.
This Citrus Bowl tussle between the Longhorns and Wolverines, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, should resemble their Rose Bowl affair. His SP+ metric predicts Texas will improve to 3-0 against Michigan with a 25-24 win. That projected final margin is closer than the latest college football odds from DraftKings (Texas -7.5) suggest.
The Longhorns and Wolverines, despite both being 9-3, enter this game headed in different directions. Texas defeated previously unbeaten Texas A&M in their regular season finale, effectively spoiling the Aggies’ season by eliminating them from the SEC Championship. Michigan, meanwhile, was trounced by Ohio State and was in the news for all the wrong reasons prior to the hiring of Kyle Whittingham.
Kickoff between the Longhorns and Wolverines is set for 3:00 p.m. E.T. on New Year’s Eve (ABC).
