officially: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
location: Ann Arbor
population: 115,299
undergrad enrollment: 26,208 (fall 2009)
annual tuition: $12,400 in-state, $36,163 out-of-state
u.s. news ranking: 29th nationally, 4th among public universities
notable alumni: Bill Ayers, Selma Blair, Tom Brady, Gerald Ford, Sanjay Gupta, James Earl Jones, Ted Kaczynski, Jack Kevorkian, Michael Phelps, Mike Wallace
distance from unl: 677 miles
best way to drive: The shortest route takes about 12 hours, and it’s a simple one: Take I-80 East and continue on it when it turns into I-94 East in Indiana.
best way to fly: Flying from Omaha to Detroit is your best option. Detroit Metropolitan is about 25 minutes from Ann Arbor, and Delta offers several round-trip flights to Detroit starting at $375. There are a couple ways to get from Detroit to Ann Arbor. Several companies offer round-trip shuttle services for around $60 if you aren’t interested in getting a rental car.
sports mascot: Wolverines
football: 42 Big Ten titles, 11 national titles, NCAA-record 879 wins
all-time series: Michigan holds the 3-2-1 lead in games against Nebraska. The most recent meeting, of course, was the 2005 Alamo Bowl in which Zac Taylor and Cory Ross led NU, a 10-point underdog, to a 32-28 win. The Huskers and Wolverines also met in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, a 27-23 Michigan victory.
After consecutive losing seasons under coach Rich Rodriguez, Michigan is 2-0 and one of the most talked-about teams in the nation. Their new starting quarterback, Denard Robinson, needs no introduction. He leads the nation in rushing at 455 yards, and he’s quickly climbed to the top of many pundits’ Heisman watch lists. Michigan is 3-13 in Big Ten play under Rodriguez, and a big season from Robinson could save his job and turn around the program. Nebraska and Michigan will compete in the same division next season, and the Huskers head to the Big House for a tough test in mid-November next season — just one week after playing at Penn State. But Martinez vs. Robinson sounds pretty great, huh?
men’s basketball: 13 Big Ten titles, 6 Final Fours, 1 national title
Don’t know much more about Michigan basketball than the legendary Fab Five in the 1990s? There’s a reason for that: The Wolverines only made one NCAA tournament appearance in the last decade. The team is in search of a new go-to guy this year following the departure of Manny Harris (18.1 ppg) and DeShawn Sims (16.8 ppg), but the Wolverines do have a potential future star in freshman Tim Hardaway Jr., a 6-foot-5 guard whose father was a five-time NBA All-Star.
volleyball: 10 NCAA tournament appearances
The Wolverines reached the Elite Eight last season for the first time in school history by stunning No. 4 Stanford in Palo Alto, earning the team a No. 9 ranking in the final top 25 poll. Led by preseason All-Big Ten hitter Alex Hunt and setter Lexi Zimmerman, the Wolverines are 8-1 this season and currently ranked 21st in the nation.
best other sports: It’s all about ice hockey at Michigan. The Wolverines have made 20 straight NCAA tournaments, reached the “Frozen Four” a record 23 times and boast nine national titles in the sport. Michigan’s men’s gymnastics team won its fourth NCAA team championship in 2010, and its softball team won the first-ever NCAA title by a team east of the Mississippi River when it upset perennial power UCLA in 2005.
— Compiled by Max Olson