The Rivals, Part XVI: Auld Lang Syne

This afternoon, college football returns for its annual post-season extravaganza of bowl games, including the second edition of the College Football Playoff. Neither Ohio State nor Michigan will have a shot at the title this year, but both teams are favored to win in rematches of games from nearly a decade ago.

A lot has changed in Ann Arbor since their Capital One Bowl win over Florida, a team that had won the national title the previous year and would win it again the next. It was a bittersweet cap on longtime coach Lloyd Carr’s Michigan career, as the pre-season #5 Wolverines had their high hopes immediately crushed in a shocking loss to then-FCS Appalachian State. As much as that game…