Michigan Football: 1997 Wolverines are among 10 most-hated teams

247Sports put out a list of the top ten most hated teams of all time and the 1997 co-National Championship Michigan Football program made it in.

Do you remember 1997? Or rather the 1998 magical Rose Bowl win over the Washington State Cougars? I do, partly because I have been a huge Michigan football fan since before birth and partly because I was at the game.

The team was undefeated and well-deserving of all the awards and accolades they received; however, there was another team that was equally as deserving, if not more so – or at least that’s what their fans thought.

Charles Woodson had seven interceptions, 11 receptions, and 283 yards returning punts earning him the Heisman trophy. This is where part of the hatred begins.

While Michigan football went 11-0 and crowned the co-National Champs, there was a Tenessee team with a now-famous QB winning a few games of their own. Peyton Manning was still slinging it for the Vols and their fans were not happy with the new addition to the Heisman house.

During his senior year, Peyton threw for 3,819 yards adding in 36 TDs to 11 INTs. The touchdowns alone put Manning in the top 100 single-season leaders for TD passes.

But then again, they did lose two games and one of them was to the other team who really hated the Wolverines that year – Nebraska. Back in those days, the Cornhuskers were not a part of the Big Ten, they resided in the newly renovated Big 12 conference which earned its name after the Big 8 joined the Southwest conference – clearly the reason why Nebraska didn’t suffer a loss to UM that year.

Coincidently, the quarterback for Nebraska back then just happened to be their current head coach Scott Frost. Frost led the Huskers past a tough Vols team beating them handily 42-17 in the Orange Bowl.

Can you imagine what the undefeated Cornhuskers must have been thinking when they had to share the National Championship with Tom Brady, Charles Woodson, and Jon Jansen the Wolverines? How dare they steal our thunder. After the votes came in, Nebraska had the numbers to back up their distraught feeling towards sharing the title.

“Nebraska fans had a reason for beef — the Huskers received 32 first-place votes to Michigan’s 30 and out-pointed the Wolverines in the final poll.” 247Sports Brad Crawford wrote in his explanation for placing Michigan football’s 1997 team and one of the ten most hated. “Charles Woodson, who picked off seven passes as the leader of the nation’s top defense, won the Heisman over Vols senior quarterback Peyton Manning and Tennessee fans were livid. Vols coach Phil Fulmer left the Wolverines off his final ballot, perhaps in spite.”

The 1986 Miami Hurricanes team topped the list with the No. 1 position followed by the 2005 USC squad who were the subject of a scandal with their running back Reggie Bush right in the center of it all. Jamis Winston and Florida State arrived at No. 3 with their 2014 performance. Auburn’s 2010 team came in at four and the 1996 Florida Gators wrapped up the top five.

No. 6 is the 1993 Notre Dame bunch and then comes the 2002 Ohio State team.

No. 8 and nine are the 2017 Oklahoma Sooners and the 2012 Alabama Crimson tide respectively.

You can view the complete list with Brad’s reasoning here.