Athletic Director David Brandon has made it clear. So has head football coach Brady Hoke. The main goal of the U-M football team is to win Big Ten Championships.
The championship trophy was on location at the Alumni Center on September 30 during the Big Ten’s tour Honoring Legends. Building Leaders. Mobile Tour. The tour’s bus was parked outside for much of the day before heading to a spot outside of the stadium for the Michigan vs. Minnesota game. Maybe the Wolverines will bring it home for good soon!
The trophy’s official name is the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, named after Joe Paterno of Penn State and Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago. This would appear to leave the University of Michigan out, but the Big Ten has introduced a series of other football with four that bear the names of Wolverines.
Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award: Gerald R. Ford of Michigan and Nile Kinnick of Iowa
Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year: Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski of Minnesota and Charles Woodson of Michigan
Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year: Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes of Ohio State and Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler of Michigan
Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year: Pat Richter of Wisconsin and Desmond Howard of Michigan
The new divisions
The championship that U-M is chasing looks a lot different this year. With the addition of the University of Nebraska, the Big Ten Conference has 12 members for the first time in its 115 years and has created two divisions that will each send a team to a championship game on December 3.
One way to remember the teams in Michigan’s division is that it includes all the M’s and N’s, along with Iowa. Here is the entire list:
LEGENDS Division: Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
LEADERS Division: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
The Big Ten Championship
The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game is December 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The champion of the Legends Division will meet the champion of the Leaders Division, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in either the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.
General public tickets for the Big Ten Football Championship Game went on sale July 30 and were completely sold out within two hours. An additional 15,000 tickets will be made available to each institution once participating teams are determined.
Go, Eddie!
On hand with the mobile bus tour was U-M student Eddie Murray, U-M’s student reporter for the tour. You can follow Eddie online. Vote for him at the end of the season to help him beat the Big Ten student reporters from the other Big Ten schools. The winner will have the opportunity to attend the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game or a Big Ten bowl game of their choice.
