Sports Illustrated is celebrating 150 years of college football by highlighting some of the best parts about the sport.
On their list of the "Greatest Fight Songs in College Football History," the University of Michigan's iconic song "The Victors" topped the list. The magazine says the song "perfectly embodies" the maize and blue.
"The Victors" was written by a Michigan student in 1898 in the early days of the Wolverine football program. It plays every time Michigan scores or makes a major defensive play.
Sports Illustrated also said that alumnus and former President Gerald R. Ford often asked the Naval band to play "The Victors" instead of the customary "Hail to the Chief." It also played at Ford's funeral.
The Michigan football program hardly had only one appearance on Sports Illustrated's lists—especially since it has been around for the past 140 years.
Here are some other shoutouts the Wolverines got:
Ranked #2 for rivalry with Ohio State
The Wolverines first faced the Buckeyes on the football field in 1897. A couple of decades after that, the rivalry was born.
For 100 years, the contest between the University of Michigan and Ohio State has been going strong. The Game started gaining national interest in the 1970s, but for those of us from Michigan, we've always been interested.
The century-long rivalry is so well-known, that Sports Illustrated named it the #2 Greatest Rivalry in College Football History.
Sports Illustrated painfully points out that the competition has—in their words—been "lopsided for a while—a long while," but it remains an "annual hate-filled fest."
While the rivalry may be #1 in the hearts of Michigan fans, it was beat out by the Alabama-Auburn rift. Sports Illustrated said the in-state clash between these two powerhouse schools makes this rivalry particularly nasty.
Best stadium, helmets, program, etc.
Sports Illustrated names the Michigan Stadium—the biggest college stadium in the country—as the second best in the country. The Big House came in second to the historic and beautiful Rose Bowl at UCLA.
The Wolverines also got #2 for best helmets with the classic winged design which was introduced in 1938.
Ann Arbor—the home city of the Wolverines—also got some attention from Sports Illustrated. The city was named as the #4 best college town, beat out by Austin, Texas; Athens, Georgia and Madison, Wisconsin. And Ann Arbor's Zingerman's deli also ranked #4 on the best college town eats list.
Despite Michigan not winning a championship in over two decades, Sports Illustrated said the Michigan football program is the third best in the country. To add salt to the wound, though, it is ranked just behind Ohio State.
Finally, Michigan also topped the list of biggest upsets in college football history. This one isn't great for the Wolverines. Sports Illustrated ranked the 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan as the #1 upset, especially since the Wolverines paid the school $400,000 to come to the Big House for what seemed like an easy win. Not so much.
What about Michigan State?
Don't worry Spartans. Michigan State was not forgotten by Sports Illustrated. While it was not as ubiquitous as the Michigan football program, the Spartans did make one list.
They were ranked #5 on the Greatest Games in College Football History list for the 1966 match-up between Notre Dame and MSU. This controversial game between the two high-ranking teams ended in a 10-10 tie.
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