Compiling a record of 46-4, the four teams Michigan lost to this season were no slouches, and there is no shame in falling to great teams, but with just one victory over a winning team, U-M is badly in need of a signature triumph when it heads to the Outback Bowl.

What has Michigan accomplished this season? Brady Hoke was asked recently if he deemed 2012 a failure because the Wolverines didn't win the Big Ten title. A year ago, that was Hoke's word - that U-M "failed" - but he softened his stance some this season, talking about a "disappointing" year but acknowledging all the good the program had done in its quest to reclaim the top of the mountain.



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