1977 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1977 college football season was one in which the top five teams all finished with records of 11-1-0. Notre Dame, which beat a #1 ranked Texas
team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, became the national champion. The year 1977 was the last before NCAA's Division I was divided into I-A and I-AA. On the eve of a national playoff for the smaller programs that would be I-AA, the Sugar Bowl in 1977 became the fourth bowl game to sign a contract guaranteeing an appearance by a major conference champion. The result was that meetings between the media poll choices for the top two teams were less likely, unless those teams were in the Big Ten and Pac-8 (which met in the Rose Bowl), or one of the teams was not obligated to play in a particular bowl game.
Besides the Big 10-Pac 8 matchup in the Rose Bowl, the SWC champion played in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Big 8 titlist in the Orange Bowl, and the SEC champ in the Sugar Bowl. Top teams that had their choice of which bowl to play were either in a conference outside of the five major powers (such as the ACC or the WAC) or those that were "independent" (not affiliated with any conference), During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press
(AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International
) (UPI). The AP poll consisted of the votes of as many as 64 writers, though not all voted in each poll, and the UPI poll was taken of a 42 member board of coaches.
first, followed by #2 Michigan
, #3 Notre Dame, #4 USC and #5 Ohio State. Alabama was 6th, and the defending champion, Pittsburgh
(minus Tony Dorsett and Johnny Majors) was ranked 7th.
September 10 #1 Oklahoma
opened its season against the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores, who had finished 2-9-0 the year before. Though the Sooners avoided an upset, their 25-23 win didn't impress the pollsters, and OU dropped to fifth.
#2 Michigan
won at Illinois, 37-9. #3 Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh, 19-9. #4 USC won at Missouri, 27-10. #5 Ohio State beat visiting Miami (of Florida) 10-0.
#6 Alabama beat Ole Miss, 34-13, at Birmingham. Although the top six teams all won their openers, The next poll shuffled the rankings (2-4-3-6-1-5): 1.Michigan 2.USC 3.Notre Dame 4.Alabama 5.Oklahoma 6. Ohio State.
September 17 #1 Michigan
beat Duke, 21-9 and #2 USC won at Oregon State, 17-10. A week after losing to Alabama, the Ole Miss Rebels stunned the nation as they defeated #3 Notre Dame 20-13 in a humid 100 degree plus day in Jackson. Humiliated by their loss to Red and Blue, Irish dropped to 11th, and as low as 14th the week after. The #11 Maryland Terrapins
fell to an unranked West Virginia
team in College Park, 24-16. #4 Alabama lost at #14 Nebraska, 31-24. #5 Oklahoma
crushed visiting Utah, 62-24. #6 Ohio State and #10 Penn State which beat Minnesota (38-7) and Houston
(31-14), respectively, reached the top five: 1.Michigan 2.USC 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Penn State
September 24 #1 Michigan
beat Navy, 14-7. #2 USC beat visiting TCU, 51-0. #3 Oklahoma
and #4 Ohio State met in Columbus, Ohio, in the season's first big matchup. In a close game, the visiting Sooners won 29-28 after a touchdown, an onside kick recovery, and a last second field goal by Uwe Von Schaman, and reclaimed first place in the next poll. #5 Penn State beat Maryland, 27-9. #6 Texas A&M
, which won at #7 Texas Tech, 33-17, reached the top five: 1.Oklahoma 2.USC 3.Michigan 4.Penn State 5.Texas A&M
beat Kansas 24-9 and #2 USC was idle, but the Trojans were voted #1 anyway in a split vote (23 vs. 19 for OU and 16 for UM). #3 Michigan
beat #5 Texas A&M
41-3. #4 Penn State lost at Kentucky, 24-20. #6 Ohio State won at SMU, 35-7. #8 Texas
defeated the visiting Rice Owls, 72-15. With USC having a plurality of votes (23 vs. 19 for OU and 16 for UM), the poll was: 1.USC 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Ohio State 5.Texas
October 8 In Los Angeles, #1 USC was beaten by #7 Alabama, 21-20 when Alabama intercepted the pass on the last minute 2-point conversion try by USC. The same day, in Dallas, #2 Oklahoma
and #5 Texas
met in their annual game, with Texas winning 13-6. The #2 Sooners' fall on the same day that #1 was beaten was a foreshadowing of something worse. In Big Ten play, #3 Michigan
won at Michigan State 24-14 and #4 Ohio State beat Purdue 46-0. #6 Colorado
beat visiting Oklahoma State, 29-13, to reach the Top Five, which had the Wolverines return to first place: 1.Michigan 2.Texas 3.Colorado 4.Alabama 5.Ohio State
October 15 #1 Michigan
beat #14 Wisconsin 56-0. #2 Texas
won at #7 Arkansas, 13-9. #3 Colorado
played at Kansas to a 17-17 tie. #4 Alabama beat Tennessee in BIrmingham, 24-10. #5 Ohio State beat Iowa 27-6. #6 USC beat Oregon, 33-15, to return to the top five:
1.Michigan 2.Texas 3.Alabama 4.Ohio State 5.USC
October 22 Previously unbeaten (6-0-0) #1 Michigan
was shut out when it visited unranked (4-2-0) Minnesota, 16-0. #2 Texas
won at SMU, 30-14. #3 Alabama beat Louisville, 55-6. #4 Ohio State won at Northwestern, 35-15. In South Bend, IN, #11 Notre Dame wore their green jerseys for the first time in decades and overwhelmed #5 USC 49-19. #7 Oklahoma
, which beat #16 Iowa State 35-16, returned to the Top Five, and the Longhorns became the fourth team to lead the poll: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Ohio State 4.Oklahoma 5.Notre Dame
October 29 #1 Texas
beat visiting #14 Texas Tech, 26-0. #2 Alabama beat Mississippi State 37-7 in Jackson. #3 Ohio State beat Wisconsin, 42-0. #4 Oklahoma
won at Kansas State, 42-7, and #5 Notre Dame beat Navy, 43-10. Other than the Sooners' trade with the Buckeyes, the poll was stable: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame
won at Houston
, 35-21. #2 Alabama embarrassed #18 LSU in Baton Rouge 24-3. #3 Oklahoma
won at Oklahoma State, 61-28, #4 Ohio State won at Illinois, 35-0, and #5 Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech, 69-14. For the first time since the season began, the top five remained unchanged (in fact, the top nine were the same): 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame
November 12 #1 Texas
beat TCU 44-14. #2 Alabama beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes, 36-0. #3 Oklahoma
beat Colorado, 52-14. #4 Ohio State beat Indiana, 35-7, and
#5 Notre Dame won at #15 Clemson, 21-17. #6 Michigan
won at Purdue, 40-7, and returned to the Top Five: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Michigan
November 19 #1 Texas
beat Baylor, 29-7, while #2 Alabama and #3 Oklahoma
were idle. Once again, the Big Ten title came down to a meeting between #4 Ohio State and #5 Michigan
, 7-0 and 6-1 in conference play, respectively. The game, at Ann Arbor, Michigan, saw the host Wolverines win 14-6 and gain the trip to the Rose Bowl. #6 Notre Dame beat Air Force, 49-0. The poll: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Michigan 5.Notre Dame
November 25 On this Friday night after Thanksgiving, USC defeated UCLA on a last second field goal, 29-27 to knock UCLA out of the Rose Bowl and put the Washington Huskies in.
November 26 #1 Texas
closed with a 57-28 at #12 Texas A&M, with an 11-0-0 record, the SWC title, and a trip to the Cotton Bowl Classic. #2 Alabama closed its season in Birmingham, beating Auburn 48-21. The Crimson Tide was unbeaten (7-0) in SEC conference play, as was Kentucky (6-0). The Kentucky Wildcats, 10-1-0 overall, might otherwise have gone to the Sugar Bowl, but were ineligible because of NCAA probation. #3 Oklahoma
had beaten #11 Nebraska, 38-7, on the day after Thanksgiving to close the regular season 10-1-0. #4 Michigan
was idle, as was #5 Notre Dame, which closed its season on December 3 with a 48-10 win at Miami. The final regular season poll had been released on November 28: 1.Texas 2.Oklahoma 3.Alabama 4.Michigan 5.Notre Dame
Dan Devine
had been unspectacular as Green Bay's coach before succeeding the legendary Ara Parsheghian at Notre Dame, while Lou Holtz
had coached the New York Jets to a 3-11 finish before taking over at Arkansas.
In the Sugar Bowl, it was a matchup of legendary coaches in Bear Bryant
and Woody Hayes
; Bryant's #3 Alabama squad easily handled 8th ranked Ohio State, 35-6.
The largest crowd in Cotton Bowl Classic history (76,701) turned out in Dallas to watch the unbeaten #1 Texas Longhorns finalize a national championship. Notre Dame's defense, however, forced five turnovers, setting up five scores. Vagas Ferguson
scored three touchdowns, including one on a pass from Joe Montana
in a 38-10 win. For Texas, both Earl Campbell
and Johnny Lam Jones were injured. Devine changed his mind about resigning his Irish coaching job.
Following the Cotton Bowl Classic and Texas' loss, #4 Michigan hoped an impressive win over the Washington might vault them to a possible national championship. However the Huskies, led by Rose Bowl MVP Warren Moon
, raced to a 24-0 3rd quarter lead and held on for a 27-20 upset.
With #1 Texas out of the way, #2 Oklahoma was in a position to claim the championship with a win over #6 Arkansas. The Razorbacks had finished behind Texas in SWC play and had settled for the Orange Bowl. The week of the game, Holtz suspended the Hogs' top rusher, Ben Cowins, and the top receiver, Donny Bobo for violating team rules. The Sooners were 18 point favorites but Cowins' backup Roland Sales rushed for two touchdowns and over 200 yards as the Razorbacks shut down the Sooners' ground game en route to a 24-0 lead and a 31-6 win.
The national championship was disputed as there were 4 one loss teams - Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and Texas. Notre Dame, on the strength of its lopsided win over #1 Texas, vaulted over Texas, Oklahoma (who lost in the Orange Bowl), Alabama (who won in the Sugar Bowl), and Michigan (who lost in the Rose Bowl). Alabama fans cried foul as they assumed, as the #3 team before the bowls, that if #1Texas and #2 Oklahoma lost (which they did), they would ride to #1 with a win over Ohio State. Some believe Alabama was granted a share of the national title in 1978 despite its loss to the team it shared it with (USC) to make up for 1977.
There were several good choices for a champion—giant killers Notre Dame and Arkansas, and third-ranked Alabama—and the electors for AP and UPI were divided, but a majority for each service picked Notre Dame. With one AP writer naming all three schools as number one, the writers poll was 37⅓ for Notre Dame, 19⅓ for Alabama and 5⅓ for Arkansas UPI had 23 for Notre Dame, 13 for Alabama and 2 for Arkansas. Dan Devine, who had followed in the footsteps of both Vince Lombardi and Ara Parseghian, reversed his earlier plans and stayed on as coach of the defending NCAA football champion.
Other bowls:
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, became the national champion. The year 1977 was the last before NCAA's Division I was divided into I-A and I-AA. On the eve of a national playoff for the smaller programs that would be I-AA, the Sugar Bowl in 1977 became the fourth bowl game to sign a contract guaranteeing an appearance by a major conference champion. The result was that meetings between the media poll choices for the top two teams were less likely, unless those teams were in the Big Ten and Pac-8 (which met in the Rose Bowl), or one of the teams was not obligated to play in a particular bowl game.
Besides the Big 10-Pac 8 matchup in the Rose Bowl, the SWC champion played in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Big 8 titlist in the Orange Bowl, and the SEC champ in the Sugar Bowl. Top teams that had their choice of which bowl to play were either in a conference outside of the five major powers (such as the ACC or the WAC) or those that were "independent" (not affiliated with any conference), During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
) (UPI). The AP poll consisted of the votes of as many as 64 writers, though not all voted in each poll, and the UPI poll was taken of a 42 member board of coaches.
September
In the preseason poll released on September 5, 1977, the AP ranked OklahomaOklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
first, followed by #2 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
, #3 Notre Dame, #4 USC and #5 Ohio State. Alabama was 6th, and the defending champion, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
(minus Tony Dorsett and Johnny Majors) was ranked 7th.
September 10 #1 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
opened its season against the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores, who had finished 2-9-0 the year before. Though the Sooners avoided an upset, their 25-23 win didn't impress the pollsters, and OU dropped to fifth.
#2 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
won at Illinois, 37-9. #3 Notre Dame won at Pittsburgh, 19-9. #4 USC won at Missouri, 27-10. #5 Ohio State beat visiting Miami (of Florida) 10-0.
#6 Alabama beat Ole Miss, 34-13, at Birmingham. Although the top six teams all won their openers, The next poll shuffled the rankings (2-4-3-6-1-5): 1.Michigan 2.USC 3.Notre Dame 4.Alabama 5.Oklahoma 6. Ohio State.
September 17 #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat Duke, 21-9 and #2 USC won at Oregon State, 17-10. A week after losing to Alabama, the Ole Miss Rebels stunned the nation as they defeated #3 Notre Dame 20-13 in a humid 100 degree plus day in Jackson. Humiliated by their loss to Red and Blue, Irish dropped to 11th, and as low as 14th the week after. The #11 Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
fell to an unranked West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
team in College Park, 24-16. #4 Alabama lost at #14 Nebraska, 31-24. #5 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
crushed visiting Utah, 62-24. #6 Ohio State and #10 Penn State which beat Minnesota (38-7) and Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
(31-14), respectively, reached the top five: 1.Michigan 2.USC 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Penn State
September 24 #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat Navy, 14-7. #2 USC beat visiting TCU, 51-0. #3 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and #4 Ohio State met in Columbus, Ohio, in the season's first big matchup. In a close game, the visiting Sooners won 29-28 after a touchdown, an onside kick recovery, and a last second field goal by Uwe Von Schaman, and reclaimed first place in the next poll. #5 Penn State beat Maryland, 27-9. #6 Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
, which won at #7 Texas Tech, 33-17, reached the top five: 1.Oklahoma 2.USC 3.Michigan 4.Penn State 5.Texas A&M
October
October 1 #1 OklahomaOklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat Kansas 24-9 and #2 USC was idle, but the Trojans were voted #1 anyway in a split vote (23 vs. 19 for OU and 16 for UM). #3 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat #5 Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
41-3. #4 Penn State lost at Kentucky, 24-20. #6 Ohio State won at SMU, 35-7. #8 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
defeated the visiting Rice Owls, 72-15. With USC having a plurality of votes (23 vs. 19 for OU and 16 for UM), the poll was: 1.USC 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Ohio State 5.Texas
October 8 In Los Angeles, #1 USC was beaten by #7 Alabama, 21-20 when Alabama intercepted the pass on the last minute 2-point conversion try by USC. The same day, in Dallas, #2 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and #5 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
met in their annual game, with Texas winning 13-6. The #2 Sooners' fall on the same day that #1 was beaten was a foreshadowing of something worse. In Big Ten play, #3 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
won at Michigan State 24-14 and #4 Ohio State beat Purdue 46-0. #6 Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
beat visiting Oklahoma State, 29-13, to reach the Top Five, which had the Wolverines return to first place: 1.Michigan 2.Texas 3.Colorado 4.Alabama 5.Ohio State
October 15 #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
beat #14 Wisconsin 56-0. #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
won at #7 Arkansas, 13-9. #3 Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
played at Kansas to a 17-17 tie. #4 Alabama beat Tennessee in BIrmingham, 24-10. #5 Ohio State beat Iowa 27-6. #6 USC beat Oregon, 33-15, to return to the top five:
1.Michigan 2.Texas 3.Alabama 4.Ohio State 5.USC
October 22 Previously unbeaten (6-0-0) #1 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
was shut out when it visited unranked (4-2-0) Minnesota, 16-0. #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
won at SMU, 30-14. #3 Alabama beat Louisville, 55-6. #4 Ohio State won at Northwestern, 35-15. In South Bend, IN, #11 Notre Dame wore their green jerseys for the first time in decades and overwhelmed #5 USC 49-19. #7 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, which beat #16 Iowa State 35-16, returned to the Top Five, and the Longhorns became the fourth team to lead the poll: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Ohio State 4.Oklahoma 5.Notre Dame
October 29 #1 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
beat visiting #14 Texas Tech, 26-0. #2 Alabama beat Mississippi State 37-7 in Jackson. #3 Ohio State beat Wisconsin, 42-0. #4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
won at Kansas State, 42-7, and #5 Notre Dame beat Navy, 43-10. Other than the Sooners' trade with the Buckeyes, the poll was stable: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame
November
November 5 #1 TexasTexas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
won at Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
, 35-21. #2 Alabama embarrassed #18 LSU in Baton Rouge 24-3. #3 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
won at Oklahoma State, 61-28, #4 Ohio State won at Illinois, 35-0, and #5 Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech, 69-14. For the first time since the season began, the top five remained unchanged (in fact, the top nine were the same): 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame
November 12 #1 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
beat TCU 44-14. #2 Alabama beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes, 36-0. #3 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat Colorado, 52-14. #4 Ohio State beat Indiana, 35-7, and
#5 Notre Dame won at #15 Clemson, 21-17. #6 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
won at Purdue, 40-7, and returned to the Top Five: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Ohio State 5.Michigan
November 19 #1 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
beat Baylor, 29-7, while #2 Alabama and #3 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
were idle. Once again, the Big Ten title came down to a meeting between #4 Ohio State and #5 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
, 7-0 and 6-1 in conference play, respectively. The game, at Ann Arbor, Michigan, saw the host Wolverines win 14-6 and gain the trip to the Rose Bowl. #6 Notre Dame beat Air Force, 49-0. The poll: 1.Texas 2.Alabama 3.Oklahoma 4.Michigan 5.Notre Dame
November 25 On this Friday night after Thanksgiving, USC defeated UCLA on a last second field goal, 29-27 to knock UCLA out of the Rose Bowl and put the Washington Huskies in.
November 26 #1 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
closed with a 57-28 at #12 Texas A&M, with an 11-0-0 record, the SWC title, and a trip to the Cotton Bowl Classic. #2 Alabama closed its season in Birmingham, beating Auburn 48-21. The Crimson Tide was unbeaten (7-0) in SEC conference play, as was Kentucky (6-0). The Kentucky Wildcats, 10-1-0 overall, might otherwise have gone to the Sugar Bowl, but were ineligible because of NCAA probation. #3 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
had beaten #11 Nebraska, 38-7, on the day after Thanksgiving to close the regular season 10-1-0. #4 Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
was idle, as was #5 Notre Dame, which closed its season on December 3 with a 48-10 win at Miami. The final regular season poll had been released on November 28: 1.Texas 2.Oklahoma 3.Alabama 4.Michigan 5.Notre Dame
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:#1 and #2 Progress
| WEEKS | #1 | #2 | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRE | Oklahoma | Michigan | Michigan 37, Illinois 9 (Sept 10) |
| 1-2 | Michigan | USC | Oklahoma 29, Ohio State 28 (Sept 24) |
| 3 | Oklahoma | USC | |
| 4 | USC | Oklahoma | Alabama 21, USC 20 (Oct 8) |
| 5-6 | Michigan | Texas | Minnesota 16, Michigan 0 (Oct 22) |
| 7-11 | Texas | Alabama | Oklahoma 38, Nebraska 7 (Nov 25) |
| 12-Bowls | Texas | Oklahoma | Notre Dame 38, Texas 10 (Jan 1) |
| Final | Notre Dame | Alabama | Notre Dame 38, Texas 10 (Jan 1) |
Bowl Games
Two former NFL head coaching failures became college football successes, upsetting the #1 and #2 teams.Dan Devine
Dan Devine
Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of...
had been unspectacular as Green Bay's coach before succeeding the legendary Ara Parsheghian at Notre Dame, while Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
had coached the New York Jets to a 3-11 finish before taking over at Arkansas.
In the Sugar Bowl, it was a matchup of legendary coaches in Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
and Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
; Bryant's #3 Alabama squad easily handled 8th ranked Ohio State, 35-6.
The largest crowd in Cotton Bowl Classic history (76,701) turned out in Dallas to watch the unbeaten #1 Texas Longhorns finalize a national championship. Notre Dame's defense, however, forced five turnovers, setting up five scores. Vagas Ferguson
Vagas Ferguson
Vagas Ferguson was a star running back for the University of Notre Dame who continued on to the National Football League for three seasons with the New England Patriots, who drafted him in the first round, the Cleveland Browns, and the Houston Oilers.In 1979, his senior season at Notre Dame,...
scored three touchdowns, including one on a pass from Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
in a 38-10 win. For Texas, both Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
and Johnny Lam Jones were injured. Devine changed his mind about resigning his Irish coaching job.
Following the Cotton Bowl Classic and Texas' loss, #4 Michigan hoped an impressive win over the Washington might vault them to a possible national championship. However the Huskies, led by Rose Bowl MVP Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
, raced to a 24-0 3rd quarter lead and held on for a 27-20 upset.
With #1 Texas out of the way, #2 Oklahoma was in a position to claim the championship with a win over #6 Arkansas. The Razorbacks had finished behind Texas in SWC play and had settled for the Orange Bowl. The week of the game, Holtz suspended the Hogs' top rusher, Ben Cowins, and the top receiver, Donny Bobo for violating team rules. The Sooners were 18 point favorites but Cowins' backup Roland Sales rushed for two touchdowns and over 200 yards as the Razorbacks shut down the Sooners' ground game en route to a 24-0 lead and a 31-6 win.
| BOWL | Winning Team | Losing Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COTTON | #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... |
38 | #1 Texas Longhorns Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
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| ORANGE | #6 Arkansas Razorbacks Arkansas Razorbacks football The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
31 | #2 Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
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| SUGAR 1978 Sugar Bowl The 1978 Sugar Bowl, part of the 1977 bowl game season, took place on January 2, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference and the Ohio State Buckeyes, representing the Big Ten Conference... |
#3 Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
35 | #8 Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
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| ROSE 1978 Rose Bowl The 1978 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 1978. It was the 64th Rose Bowl Game. The Washington Huskies, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 27–20... |
#13 Washington Huskies Washington Huskies football College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by... |
27 | #4 Michigan Wolverines Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
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The national championship was disputed as there were 4 one loss teams - Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and Texas. Notre Dame, on the strength of its lopsided win over #1 Texas, vaulted over Texas, Oklahoma (who lost in the Orange Bowl), Alabama (who won in the Sugar Bowl), and Michigan (who lost in the Rose Bowl). Alabama fans cried foul as they assumed, as the #3 team before the bowls, that if #1Texas and #2 Oklahoma lost (which they did), they would ride to #1 with a win over Ohio State. Some believe Alabama was granted a share of the national title in 1978 despite its loss to the team it shared it with (USC) to make up for 1977.
There were several good choices for a champion—giant killers Notre Dame and Arkansas, and third-ranked Alabama—and the electors for AP and UPI were divided, but a majority for each service picked Notre Dame. With one AP writer naming all three schools as number one, the writers poll was 37⅓ for Notre Dame, 19⅓ for Alabama and 5⅓ for Arkansas UPI had 23 for Notre Dame, 13 for Alabama and 2 for Arkansas. Dan Devine, who had followed in the footsteps of both Vince Lombardi and Ara Parseghian, reversed his earlier plans and stayed on as coach of the defending NCAA football champion.
Other bowls:
| BOWL | Location | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIESTA | Tempe | Penn State 42 | Arizona State 30 |
| SUN | El Paso | Stanford 24 | LSU 14 |
| GATOR | Jacksonville | Pittsburgh 34 | Clemson 3 |
| TANGERINE | Orlando | Florida State 40 | Texas Tech 17 |
| ASTRO-BLUEBONNET | Houston | USC 47 | Texas A&M 28 |
| LIBERTY | Memphis | Nebraska 21 | North Carolina 17 |
| PEACH | Atlanta | N.C. State 24 | Iowa State 14 |
| INDEPENDENCE | Shreveport | Louisiana Tech 24 | Louisville 14 |
| HALL OF FAME | Birmingham | Maryland 17 | Minnesota 7 |
Other champions
With NCAA Division I-AA football set to begin in 1978, some of the schools that had played in Division II (such as Montana State) moved to Division I. Soon to be I-AA schools with great records in 1977 included Grambling State (10-1-0), Colgate (10-1-0), Louisiana Tech (9-1-2), UT-Chattanooga (9-1-1), and Tennessee State (8-1-1).| Division | Winning Team | Losing Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA Division II | Lehigh Engineers Lehigh Mountain Hawks The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. The Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League... |
33 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and... |
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| NCAA Division III | Widener Pioneers Widener University Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia... |
39 | Wabash Little Giants Wabash College Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded... |
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| NAIA Division I | Abilene Christian Wildcats Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute... |
24 | Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs Southwestern Oklahoma State University Southwestern Oklahoma State University is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of seven state regional universities in the state of Oklahoma.The current president of SWOSU is Randy Beutler.-History:... |
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| NAIA Division II | Westminster (Pa.) Titans Westminster College, Pennsylvania Westminster College is a liberal arts college located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1852, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church... |
17 | California Lutheran Kingsmen California Lutheran University California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:... |
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