The Washington Huskies play the Michigan Wolverines for the national championship on Monday. No Washington-Michigan game from the past was bigger than the 1992 Rose Bowl.
The Washington-Michigan Rose Bowl results went back and forth. The Huskies won the first one in 1978, then Michigan won in 1981 as Bo Schembechler finally got a bowl game victory.
Eleven years after the 1981 game, the two programs faced off in the Rose Bowl again. This time it was all Washington. The Huskies dominated in a 34-14 rout of Michigan in 1992.
The Huskies finished No. 1 in the Coaches Poll, splitting the national title with Miami. The Hurricanes hammered Nebraska later on New Year’s Day of 1992 and finished first in the Associated Press Poll. Washington, like Miami, finished the season undefeated.
UW entered the 1992 Rose Bowl ranked No. 2, Michigan at No. 4. No. 3 Florida lost in the 1992 Sugar Bowl to Notre Dame, which meant that if Michigan had beaten Washington, the Wolverines would have finished No. 2 in the country.
The Huskies scored 21 points in the second half to run away with the 1992 Rose Bowl. They made great halftime adjustments to stake their claim to a split national title. UW’s Billy Joe Hobert (quarterback) and Steve Emtman (defensive tackle) were named the players of the game.
Don James’ Husky program had been very good for 15 years. Washington finished No. 2 in the country in the 1984 season, narrowly missing a national title. Several years later, the Huskies finally reached the summit.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.