ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Outside the world of college sports, the colors maize green and dark orange are rarely seen; without the right context, they seem garish.

However, when Texas comes to Michigan for a football game, it somehow makes sense that 110,000 people would be wearing one article of clothing or another and want to spend a brisk September afternoon watching a heavyweight game.

However, only one of the teams is a serious contender this year and it is certainly not the reigning national champions, the Wolverines, who would have to work very hard in this game to find “Mr. Brightside.”

Texas 31, Michigan 12.

It wasn’t that close.

The fourth quarter might as well have been played in the peace and quiet of the Law Quad, the corn slowly drifting toward tailgates and traffic jams while the burnt orange crowded the lower rows and cheered in Texan joy, led by Matthew McConaughey, the program’s “minister of culture.”

After the loss, Texas players gathered in the southeast corner of the massive Michigan Stadium to sing “Eyes of Texas” and celebrate with fans who roared with excitement — for the team, the score, the possibilities. Linebacker David Gbenda then attempted to plant the Longhorn flag at the 50-yard line.

“It was special to see so much orange in the stands,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I took it in. I love that kind of thing.”

Whether the Longhorns can repeat Michigan’s run to the national title — which would be Texas’ first since Vince Young’s 2005 run — remains to be seen. It’s a long season, there’s an extended playoff, and it probably won’t be much fun getting through the SEC with a running back team depleted by injuries.

Texas looked capable on Saturday, though. Steve Sarkisian’s team is tough, talented and scary. It blocks. It tackles. It’s fast and big. For all the potential pyrotechnics of a Quinn Ewers-led offense, this win was won by blunt force trauma and line dominance.

The Longhorns totaled 389 yards on offense, 4.5 yards per carry, and forced three turnovers. They beat Michigan in the Michigan game.

It was a group of running backs – Quintrevion Wisner, Jerrick Gibson and Jaydon Blue – who gained yards here (143 yards). There it was Gunnar Helm who caught passes (seven of them). It was linebackers David Gbenda and Anthony Hill Jr. who brought some violence to the defense.

Most of the time, it was the big guys who came to Big Ten land and showed themselves.

“We pride ourselves on our physical fitness,” Hill Jr. said. “We train physically. We train physically. And it showed on the football field.”

The Longhorns have come here to take over everything – from the flags flying outside the Graduate Hotel here in Ann Arbor to the bars and restaurants in nearby downtown Detroit to the trenches where the games are really won.

It was a resounding success and a show of force that could make the old “Texas is back” jokes not so funny for everyone else.

“This is who we are now,” said Jake Majors, who has played on the offensive line for five years. “This is the standard we set every day.”

Michigan fans have seen up close for three years what a contender and then a champion looks like and they know they can’t do that in 2024. Texas fans have seen the rise to playoff status and must realize this team has even more potential.

Michigan doesn’t have a player who can play quarterback at an elite level – at Texas, Ewers not only threw 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, but his replacement is none other than Arch Manning, the heir to the family’s quarterback empire.

Michigan had 13 players drafted into the NFL last spring, and its coach Jim Harbaugh and numerous assistants moved on to the Los Angeles Chargers. Some elite talent is still there – tight end Colston Loveland had eight receptions – but the gaps are obvious and everywhere.

The Wolverines desperately needed to sign a quarterback last year, but the timing in December, coupled with the uncertainty about Harbaugh’s status, the playoff run and the chaos surrounding the Connor Stallions advanced scouting scandal likely got in the way.

The result: It’s a transitional year for a team looking for a playmaker. The Wolverines played hard until the end, even scoring with 1:54 left. As for new head coach Sherrone Moore, he’s likely looking to sign his contract soon. Right now.

It’s potentially a historic season for Texas, a team that has grown and grown since its semifinal appearance a year ago, and expectations are at least as high this time around.

And a beautiful Saturday full of orange tones in Ann Arbor as a stop along the way.