1978 NCAA Division I-A football season
Encyclopedia
The 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first season of Division I-A football; Division I-A was created in 1978 from the splitting of Division I for football only. The season came down to a rare #1 vs. #2 post-season meeting as #1 Penn State and #2 Alabama met in the New Year's Day Sugar Bowl
. The game is most remembered for Alabama's goal line stand with four minutes left in the game. On fourth down and a foot, Alabama managed to keep Penn State out of the end zone and went on to win 14-7. Keith Jackson
, who did the play by play for ABC
, called it the greatest game he'd ever seen. 76,824 people packed the Louisiana Superdome
, which was tremendously loud.
Alabama's only loss that year was 24-14 in Birmingham to Southern California. Both schools claim this year as a national title year. Alabama claimed the national title because it defeated top-ranked Penn State on the field. USC claimed the title because it defeated Alabama in the regular season and also finished with only one loss. The AP Poll and most other voting outlets crowned Alabama as national champion, while the UPI coaches' poll selected USC. This was the first year of the Pacific-10 Conference, as the Pac 8 added Arizona schools the University of Arizona
and Arizona State University
.
was fired for punching Clemson defensive back Charlie Bauman in the throat after his game saving interception.
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
. The game is most remembered for Alabama's goal line stand with four minutes left in the game. On fourth down and a foot, Alabama managed to keep Penn State out of the end zone and went on to win 14-7. Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
, who did the play by play for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, called it the greatest game he'd ever seen. 76,824 people packed the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
, which was tremendously loud.
Alabama's only loss that year was 24-14 in Birmingham to Southern California. Both schools claim this year as a national title year. Alabama claimed the national title because it defeated top-ranked Penn State on the field. USC claimed the title because it defeated Alabama in the regular season and also finished with only one loss. The AP Poll and most other voting outlets crowned Alabama as national champion, while the UPI coaches' poll selected USC. This was the first year of the Pacific-10 Conference, as the Pac 8 added Arizona schools the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
.
Rules changes for 1978
- Unsuccessful field goals are returned to the previous line of scrimmage. Previously they were placed at the 20-yard line.
- Balls may not be altered and new or nearly new balls are to be used.
Conference standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, Conf. = Conference Record| Conference Champion |
#1 and #2 Progress
| WEEKS | #1 | #2 | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-3 | Alabama | Arkansas | USC 24, Alabama 14 (Sept 23) |
| 4 | Oklahoma | Arkansas | USC 30, Michigan St 9 (Sept 29) |
| 5-6 | Oklahoma | USC | Arizona St. 20, USC 7 (Oct 14) |
| 7-10 | Oklahoma | Penn State | Nebraska 17, Oklahoma 14 (Nov 11) |
| 11 | Penn State | Nebraska | Missouri 35, Nebraska 31 (Nov 18) |
| 12-14 | Penn State | Alabama | Alabama 14, Penn State 7 (Jan 1) |
Bowl bids
Top ranked Penn State, as an independent, was not tied to any bowl game so the Nittany Lions accepted the Sugar Bowl invitation where they would meet SEC Champion Alabama, who was ranked 2nd in the AP and 3rd in the UPI. Pac-10 champion USC (ranked 3rd in the AP and 2nd in the UPI) faced #5 Michigan in the Rose Bowl in a battle of one loss teams. Nebraska had upset Oklahoma to earn the Big 8 title and automatic Orange Bowl berth; the Orange Bowl pulled a surprise by inviting the Sooners to play Nebraska in a rematch. Most observers felt Clemson would be invited and Oklahoma would play Houston in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The Cotton Bowl Classic bid went to Notre Dame and Clemson had to settle for the Gator Bowl despite a better record and higher ranking than Notre Dame.Bowl results
In unusually cold and icy Dallas, Notre Dame overcame a 34-13 deficit to beat Houston 35-34. In New Orleans, Alabama used a 4th quarter goal line stand to upset Penn State 14-7. In Pasadena, USC defeated Michigan 17-10, aided by an official's ruling on a touchdown by Charles White when TV replays clearly showed that he fumbled on the two yard line. In the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma won its rematch with Nebraska 31-24. One other Bowl of note saw Clemson beat Ohio State 17-15 in the Gator Bowl; the next day, legendary Ohio State coach Woody HayesWoody 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...
was fired for punching Clemson defensive back Charlie Bauman in the throat after his game saving interception.
| NEW YEARS DAY BOWLS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton Bowl Classic | #10 Notre Dame | 35 | #9 Houston | 34 |
| Sugar Bowl Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009... |
#2 Alabama | 14 | #1 Penn State | 7 |
| Rose Bowl Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2... |
#3 USC | 17 | #5 Michigan | 10 |
| Orange Bowl | #4 Oklahoma | 31 | #6 Nebraska | 24 |
| OTHER BOWLS | ||||
| Gator Bowl Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally... |
#7 Clemson | 17 | #20 Ohio State | 15 |
| Fiesta Bowl Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil... |
#8 Arkansas | 10 | #15 UCLA | 10 |
| Bluebonnet Bowl Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was... |
Stanford | 25 | #11 Georgia | 22 |
| Peach Bowl | #17 Purdue | 41 | Georgia Tech | 21 |
| Sun Bowl Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl... |
#14 Texas | 42 | #13 Maryland | 0 |
| Tangerine Bowl Capital One Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl... |
North Carolina St. | 30 | #16 Pittsburgh | 17 |
| Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... |
#18 Missouri | 20 | LSU | 15 |
| Holiday Bowl Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that has been played annually at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, since 1978. Beginning with the 2010 playing the bowl will officially be known as the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl after... |
Navy | 23 | Brigham Young | 16 |
| Hall of Fame Classic All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985.... |
Texas A&M | 28 | #19 Iowa State | 12 |
| Independence Bowl Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976.... |
East Carolina | 35 | Louisiana Tech | 13 |
| Garden State Bowl Garden State Bowl The Garden State Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from 1978 to 1981... |
Arizona State | 34 | Rutgers | 18 |
National champion
In the AP poll, Alabama (11-1-0), on the strength of their Sugar Bowl win over Penn State, was voted #1. In the UPI poll, USC (12-1-0) was voted #1, based in a large part on their easy early season 24-14 win at Alabama over the Crimson Tide.Final AP and UPI rankings
| Rank | AP | UPI |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alabama | USC |
| 2. | USC | Alabama |
| 3. | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 4. | Penn State | Penn State |
| 5. | Michigan | Michigan |
| 6. | Clemson | Notre Dame |
| 7. | Notre Dame | Clemson |
| 8. | Nebraska | Nebraska |
| 9. | Texas | Texas |
| 10. | Houston | Arkansas |
| 11. | Arkansas | Houston |
| 12. | Michigan State | UCLA |
| 13. | Purdue | Purdue |
| 14. | UCLA | Missouri |
| 15. | Missouri | Georgia |
| 16. | Georgia | Stanford |
| 17. | Stanford | Navy |
| 18. | N.C. State | Texas A&M |
| 19. | Texas A&M | Arizona State |
| 20. | Maryland | N.C. State |
Heisman Trophy voting
- Billy Sims, Oklahoma HB
- Chuck Fusina, Penn State QB
- Rick Leach, Michigan QB
- Charles White, Southern California TB
- Charles Alexander, LSU TB
Other major awards
- Maxwell (outstanding player) - Chuck FusinaChuck FusinaCharles Anthony Fusina is a former professional American football quarterback. He played in both the National Football League and United States Football League and was an All-American and Maxwell Award winner at Penn State University in 1978.-Professional football:At 6'1" 195-lb., Fusina was a...
, Penn St. QB - Outland (Interior Lineman) - Greg Roberts, Oklahoma G
- Camp (Running Back) - Billy SimsBilly SimsBilly Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...
, Oklahoma RB - Lombardi (Linebacker) - Bruce ClarkBruce Clark (American football)Bruce Clark is a former American football defensive end who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was drafted in the 1980 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, but chose to play in the Canadian Football League. Clark played two...
, Penn St. D