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I usually write five “Looking Back” posts before a game, but Michigan has only played Oklahoma once, so it seemed pointless to write five posts. The Wolverines and the Sooners first met in the 1976 Orange Bowl, following the conclusion of the 1975 season. For several years, Michigan produced excellent won-loss records, only to be denied the opportunity to play in a bowl game because they failed to win the conference championship. In the 1975 season, the Big Ten conference chose to permit teams that had not won the conference championship to compete in bowl games, and the Wolverines jumped at the opportunity to play Oklahoma. 

New Year’s Day dawned with Ohio State in the driver’s seat for the national championship, but the top-ranked Buckeyes lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 23-10, adding plenty of intrigue to the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma began the day ranked No. 2, and the Sooners knew that a win over Michigan would probably earn the national championship. 

Michigan entered the Orange Bowl with an 8-1-2 record, having lost only to archrival Ohio State in the season finale. Following back-to-back ties early in the season, the Wolverines reeled off seven consecutive victories, highlighted by a pair of shutouts against Northwestern and Purdue. Michigan led Ohio State 14-7, but as the shadows grew longer at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines’ fortunes began to unravel. Quarterback Rick Leach threw a pair of interceptions and Pete Johnson scored twice for Ohio State to give the Buckeyes a 21-14 victory. Few teams considered the Orange Bowl to be a consolation prize, but it never held the cache of the Rose Bowl in the eyes of Big Ten teams. 

Oklahoma was led by the Selmon brothers, Lee Roy and Dewey, defensive linemen who were so dominant that the Wolverines had little hope of establishing a strong running game. Michigan stayed within one touchdown of Oklahoma until the fourth quarter, but the Sooners simply had too much talent and captured the national championship with a 14-6 victory. 

Michigan had many talented young players and there was reason to be optimistic. Ricky Leach and the Michigan offense would improve with more experience.