A Look Back At Michigan's Last 10 Road Wins Against AP Top-15 Teams
Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh has posted a respectable 12-7 record in road games (including a 12-5 mark in Big Ten play) during his four years at U-M, but few of those 12 victories have come in the "big games" (AKA, against ranked opponents).
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Harbaugh's record against foes rated inside the Associated Press top-25 drops to just 1-5, with the lone victory occurring at No. 24 Michigan State last October, 21-7.
The inability to consistently go into opposing venues and pick up wins has irked the Wolverine fan base, which is a big reason so many are doubting the club's chances in Madison tomorrow against the 13th-ranked Badgers.
Former head coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke didn't tally a single win against a top-15 club on the road during their combined seven years on the job, but their predecessor, Lloyd Carr, had a knack for registering massive victories away from home.
In fact, Carr did so 10 times during his 13 years as the head man in Ann Arbor, posting an impressive 10-6 overall record in such affairs.
His 10 triumphs actually make up the entire list below:
| Date | Game | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
Sept. 16, 2006 |
@ (No. 2) Notre Dame |
W, 47-21 |
|
Oct. 1, 2005 |
@ (No. 11) Michigan State |
W, 34-31 |
|
Oct. 23, 2004 |
@ (No. 12) Purdue |
W, 16-14 |
|
Nov. 1, 2003 |
@ (No. 9) Michigan State |
W, 27-20 |
|
Nov. 18, 2000 |
@ (No. 12) Ohio State |
W, 38-26 |
|
Nov. 13, 1999 |
@ (No. 6) Penn State |
W, 31-27 |
|
Nov. 8, 1997 |
@ (No. 2) Penn State |
W, 34-8 |
|
Oct. 25, 1997 |
@ (No. 15) Michigan State |
W, 23-7 |
|
Nov. 23, 1996 |
@ (No. 2) Ohio State |
W, 13-9 |
|
Sept. 14, 1996 |
@ (No. 5) Colorado |
W, 20-13 |
The eight different seasons that included a top-15 road victory above often concluded in impressive fashion, with the Maize and Blue winning the Big Ten in four of them (2004, 2003, 2000 and 1997).
The club also won at least 10 games in four of the eight campaigns:
• 2006 — 11-2
• 2005 — 7-5
• 2004 — 9-3, Big Ten Champions
• 2003 — 10-3, Big Ten Champions
• 2000 — 9-3, Big Ten Champions
• 1999 — 10-2
• 1997 — 12-0, Big Ten and National Champions
• 1996 — 8-4
All five of Harbaugh's road losses to ranked squads have actually come against foes who were rated inside the top-15, with three of those five checking in inside the nation's top-five (at No. 2 Ohio State in 2016, and at No. 2 Penn State and No. 5 Wisconsin in 2017).
A victory tomorrow would improve Harbaugh's road record against AP top-15 opponents to 2-5, and would mark the Wolverines' first triumph in an opposing top-15 Big Ten club's stadium since the 34-31 overtime win at Michigan State in 2005.
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