Clemson football had been in a funk for about a decade. The great Frank Howard had built the program to greatness in the mid-20th century, but the end of his career in the 1960s was marked by a slow decline. Two successors tried to achieve a restoration, but more mediocrity followed. Then Charley Pell arrived […]
The 1978 college football season is remembered for a controversial split national championship, the continued frustration of one great coach and the sad ending for another. But above all, 1978 was about four games–one in the regular season and three in the bowls–that were defined by drama on the goal line. In this article we’ll […]
Drama on the goal-line defined the 1978 college football season, with Alabama and USC getting shares of the national championship in bowl victories both dramatic and controversial.
The 1978 Gator Bowl is most remembered for being the final game for Ohio State’s legendary head coach Woody Hayes, ending in unfortunate circumstances. It was also a big breakout game for Clemson. Here’s a look back on the paths both the Buckeyes and Tigers took to Jacksonville for what proved to be an unexpected […]
Christmas Day of 1978 offered an interesting bowl game for those looking for a diversion at their holiday gathering. Purdue and Georgia Tech were both teams returning to the bowl party after a brief absence and a good quarterback and record-setting running back were on display. Here’s a look back at the paths the Boilermakers […]
Two traditional rivals came together on New Year’s Day for the 1979 Rose Bowl. USC arrived ranked #3 in the country and hoping that if the cards fell right they could be national champs. Michigan was ranked fifth, no hope at the top, but still aiming to get head coach Bo Schembecler his first victory in Pasadena. Let’s look back on how the Wolverines and Trojans navigated the 1978 college football regular season to get to this point.
Notre Dame was the defending national champion coming into the 1978 college football season. Houston was only two years removed from a major bowl appearance of their own, but continued to be a mostly unheralded program. These two teams marched a path to a memorable January 1 battle at the 1979 Cotton Bowl.
The Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry was as good as it got in college football in the 1970s and 1980s, combining regional intensity and national impact. Their November game was almost always for the championship of the old Big Eight and the Orange Bowl bid that went with it. The 1978 college football season saw the rivalry go one step further, as the Sooners and Cornhuskers followed a path that led to a January 1 rematch in the 1979 Orange Bowl.
The 1978 Rose Bowl was a coming out party for the Washington Husky program under Don James and for his quarterback, Warren Moon. It was a study in frustration for Michigan head coach Bo Schembecler, who couldn’t seem to find a way to win in Pasadena.