Team: Michigan Wolverines
Stadium: Michigan Stadium
Conference: Big Ten
Sport: College Football
Background: The University of Michigan was established in 1817 by the Michigan Territorial legislature as one of the United States' first public universities, on 1,920 acres (8 km²) of land ceded by the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people "...for a college at Detroit." The school moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor in 1837, only 13 years after the latter city had been founded. It has provided a diverse student population with a diverse set of educational opportunities, including academic and professional programs, intramural and NCAA sports programs, and more cultural activities than most residents of Ann Arbor can exploit.

The University of Michigan is sometimes called "The Harvard of the Midwest," a title also claimed by the University of Chicago. In response to the comparison, Harvard is often referred to in jest as "The Michigan of the East" by university students, alumni, and staff.

Students and faculty:
The students at the University of Michigan come from all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. Almost 50 percent of undergraduates come from the top five percent of their graduating high school class and most are in the top tenth of their class.

Michigan's teaching and research staff is considered one of the top five faculties in the country. They have included an astronaut, distinguished world authorities, Pulitzer Prize winners, internationally acclaimed performing artists and composers, Supreme Court Justices, best-selling novelists, artists, and filmmakers. Michigan has more than 100 named endowed chairs.