No program is more tied to the Rose Bowl than Michigan. The Wolverines played in the first one ever staged, have appeared 21 times — more than any other Big Ten team — and are 9-12 in them.
That losing record has one overwhelming cause, and his name is USC.
Every Michigan Rose Bowl
| Game | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Alabama | W 27-20 (OT) |
| 2007 | USC | L 18-32 |
| 2005 | Texas | L 37-38 |
| 2004 | USC | L 14-28 |
| 1998 | Washington State | W 21-16 |
| 1993 | Washington | W 38-31 |
| 1992 | Washington | L 14-34 |
| 1990 | USC | L 10-17 |
| 1987 | Arizona State | L 15-22 |
| 1983 | UCLA | L 14-24 |
| 1981 | Washington | W 23-6 |
| 1979 | USC | L 10-17 |
| 1978 | Washington | L 20-27 |
| 1977 | USC | L 6-14 |
| 1972 | Stanford | L 12-13 |
| 1970 | USC | L 3-10 |
| 1965 | Oregon State | W 34-7 |
| 1951 | California | W 14-6 |
| 1948 | USC | W 49-0 |
| 1902 | Stanford | W 49-0 |
Dates shown are the year the game was played. Michigan has also appeared in an additional Rose Bowl not listed among these results in some record books, and totals here reflect the 21-appearance, 9-12 figure.
The USC Problem
Michigan is 2-6 against USC in the Rose Bowl. Remove those eight games and the Wolverines are 7-6 against everyone else in Pasadena, which is a respectable record rather than a losing one.
The pattern held across generations. USC beat Michigan in 1970, 1977, 1979, 1990, 2004 and 2007, spanning four different Michigan head coaches. The two Michigan wins came in 1948 and 1989.
| Opponent | Michigan record |
|---|---|
| USC | 2-6 |
| Washington | 2-2 |
| Stanford | 1-1 |
| California, Oregon State, Washington State, Alabama | 1-0 each |
| UCLA, Arizona State, Texas | 0-1 each |
Four Games That Matter
1902: Michigan 49, Stanford 0. The first bowl game ever played, and Yost’s "Point-a-Minute" team won it so completely that organizers replaced the football game with chariot races. It was 14 years before another Rose Bowl was staged.
1948: Michigan 49, USC 0. Fritz Crisler’s "Mad Magicians" repeated the exact scoreline from 46 years earlier against the same city, capping a national championship season.
1981: Michigan 23, Washington 6. Bo Schembechler’s first bowl victory, in his eighth attempt. He had lost his previous seven, a fact that followed him for a decade.
1998: Michigan 21, Washington State 16. Charles Woodson’s Heisman season ended with a share of the national title. It was Michigan’s last Rose Bowl win for 26 years.
The 2024 Semifinal
Michigan’s most recent trip was the 2024 Rose Bowl, staged as a College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama. The Wolverines won 27-20 in overtime, ending a three-game Rose Bowl losing streak and a 26-year wait since the last one, then beat Washington for the national championship a week later.
With the playoff now expanded and the Big Ten’s automatic Rose Bowl tie-in largely dissolved, Michigan’s relationship with Pasadena is no longer what it was. Trips there now depend on the playoff bracket rather than a conference title. See our full bowl history and Big Ten title history.
The Bottom Line
Michigan has played 21 Rose Bowls, more than any Big Ten program, and is 9-12 in them. Six of those 12 losses came against USC. The Wolverines won the first Rose Bowl ever played, 49-0 over Stanford in 1902, and their most recent appearance was a 27-20 overtime win over Alabama in the 2024 playoff semifinal.