The University of Michigan is home to the winningest college football program in the entire country, encompassing a total of 932 wins and 11 national titles. The "Wolverines", which is the mascot of the sports teams, was one of the major teams that introduced football to many schools throughout the Midwest, such as Notre Dame and the University of Chicago in the 1880s.

Notre Dame is still to this day one of the biggest rivals of Michigan, with each contest being a gridiron matchup where anything goes. This is especially true of the rivalry between the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. Highly considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in college football, if not all of sports, has had a rich history of games being played to determine who would go on to the big bowl games of that year, even sometimes determining national champions of that year. The players on the field are rivals, so too are the coaches at the head of the teams.

One of the most notable of these coaching rivalries was between UofM coach Bo Schembechler and his mentor from his time playing at Miami(OH), Ohio State's Woody Hayes. During the 1970's, either Michigan or Ohio State won the Big Ten title and competed in the Rose Bowl, with Michigan getting 5 wins, Ohio State with 4 wins, and one tie between them. The best part about the rivalry between the two schools is the undying loyalty of the fans of each program. Both University of Michigan fans and Ohio State fans will stand by the side of their team, and claim that they will win the big game played at the end of the season, no matter what the record of either team is.

Another tradition that sets Michigan apart from the rest of college football is their iconic winged helmets and the Maize and Blue color scheme. The winged helmet has been an iconic helmet since the days of leather-capped football players, with many high school football teams using the design themselves as a way of paying homage to the traditions of Michigan. The Maize and Blue is one of the most distinctive color pallets in all of sports, being easily recognizable by anybody who sees it.

The moniker "Those Who Stay, Will Be Champions" was set in place by Bo Schembechler during his first year as a head coach. This is what I think really sticks out to me as what makes Michigan a winning program, not just is football, and not just in sports. It's a mantra that resonates throughout the entire university as a strive for excellence by everybody who calls themself a Wolverine.