Consider this while you're watching Michigan take on Kansas State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl tonight: Thanks to Notre Dame's 29-16 win in the Pinstripe Bowl over a hapless Rutgers team, a Wolverine loss means the Irish will overtake Michigan as the winningest team in college football history, based on winning percentage.
| School | Win % |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 0.73302 |
| Notre Dame | 0.73301 |
| Oklahoma | 0.71932 |
| Ohio State | 0.71821 |
| Texas | 0.71549 |
| Alabama | 0.71446 |
| Nebraska | 0.70103 |
| USC | 0.70102 |
Per Stassen, Michigan enters tonight's game with 910 wins, 320 losses and 36 ties – good enough for a .73302 winning percentage. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has 874 wins, 305 losses and 42 ties, equating to a .73301 winning percentage. It's that close, folks.
Should Kansas State – currently favored by six points – top Michigan, the Wolverines will fall to .73244, or .00057 points behind the Irish. The Wolverines have enjoyed their status as the team with college football's top winning percentage for at least my lifetime, if not much, much longer. It's fair to mention that Michigan still holds a sizeable lead in the all-time wins column with a 35-victory edge over No. 2 Texas.
Just five years ago, before Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan's lead over Notre Dame appeared safe, .74475 to .73864. Since then, the Wolverines have gone 34-29, the program's worst five-year stretch since the early 1960s.
So, about all of that cheering for Michigan to help the Big Ten's image stuff? Maybe we put that on hold for a game.
