🏈 The 1978 college football season
The champion and its path, the poll race week by week, the honours, the best games and every conference table.
Source: Citizen of Nowhere college football database · 14 conferences · 15 bowls
Jump to any season1869–2026
1860s
1978 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path11-1
- Sep 2vs#10NebraskaW20-3
- Sep 16at#11MissouriW38-20
- Sep 23vs#7USCL14-24
- Sep 30vsVanderbiltW51-28
- Oct 7atWashingtonW20-17
- Oct 14vsFloridaW23-12
- Oct 21atTennesseeW30-17
- Oct 28vsVirginia TechW35-0
- Nov 4vsMississippi StateW35-14
- Nov 11vs#10LSUW31-10
- Dec 2atAuburnW34-16
- Jan 1vs#1Penn StateW14-7Sugar Bowl
The 1978 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
- Cotton BowlJan 1#10Notre Dame35#9Houston34
- Orange BowlJan 1#4Oklahoma31#6Nebraska24
- Rose BowlJan 1#3USC17#5Michigan10
- Sugar BowlJan 1#2Alabama14#1Penn State7
The 1978 poll race
Rank by poll week, 1 at the top, or Elo by week. A poll line breaks where a team was unranked.
How this is measured
The final top five and the champion are drawn in team colours; everyone else is muted until you tap a line or pick a team. The grid under a poll chart has the same ranks, team by week, so a rank can be read as a number as well as a height. Where the College Football Playoff or BCS ranking also ran, switch between it and the AP poll. The Elo view plots each team's rating on the poll dates for the teams that finished in the Elo top 15 or were ranked at any point, and its Show filter works the same way.
- Regular season ends
- Bowl season
Tap or drag on the chart to read a team's rank in any week.
AP rank, team by week
| Team | Aug28 | Sep11 | 18 | 25 | Oct2 | 9 | 16 | 23 | 30 | Nov6 | 13 | 20 | 27 | Dec4 | Jan2final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USC | 9 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Penn State | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Michigan | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Clemson | 18 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | ||||||
| Notre Dame | 5 | 15 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 7 | |||
| Nebraska | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Texas | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 9 |
| Houston | 17 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | |||||
| Arkansas | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| Michigan State | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||
| Purdue | 19 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 | ||||||
| UCLA | 12 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| Missouri | 11 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 15 | |||||
| Georgia | 19 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 16 | |||||
| Stanford | 20 | 17 | 18 | 17 | |||||||||||
| North Carolina State | 20 | 18 | |||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 16 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 19 | |||||||
| Maryland | 20 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 20 | |
| Pittsburgh | 14 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | |
| Iowa State | 20 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | ||||||
| Ohio State | 7 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 20 | |||||
| LSU | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 17 | ||||
| Georgia Tech | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| Navy | 17 | 18 | 11 | 18 | |||||||||||
| Washington | 11 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Arizona State | 14 | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Colorado | 19 | 16 | 13 | 13 | |||||||||||
| Florida State | 17 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 18 | 15 | |||||||||
| Auburn | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 15 | 17 | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 19 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Aug 28 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- HoustonNR → #10
- Michigan StateNR → #12
- PurdueNR → #13
- Clemson#18 → #6
- MissouriNR → #15
Fallers
- Ohio State#7 → NR
- Washington#11 → NR
- LSU#13 → NR
- Pittsburgh#14 → NR
- Kentucky#15 → NR
1978 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
The 1978 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1978 honoursHeisman: Billy Sims
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Joe Paterno
AFCA Coach of the Year Award · Coach · Penn State
Billy Sims
Davey O'Brien Award · RB · Oklahoma
Chuck Fusina
Maxwell Award · QB · Penn State
Greg Roberts
Outland Trophy · G · Oklahoma
Bruce Clark
Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award · DT · Penn State
Show all 6 awards
Billy Sims
Walter Camp Award · RB · Oklahoma
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
QB
- Chuck Fusina★ unanimousPenn State
RB
- Charles AlexanderLSU
- Ted BrownNorth Carolina State
- Billy Sims★ unanimousOklahoma
- Charles White★ unanimousUSC
WR
- Emanuel TolbertSMU
Show all 10 positions
TE
- Kellen WinslowMissouri
OT
- Kelvin ClarkNebraska
- Keith Dorney★ unanimousPenn State
C
- Jim RitcherNorth Carolina State
- Dave HuffmanNotre Dame
DL
- Marty LyonsAlabama
- Al Harris★ unanimousArizona State
- Mike BellColorado State
- Bruce Clark★ unanimousPenn State
- Hugh GreenPittsburgh
LB
- Bob Golic★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Tom CousineauOhio State
- Jerry Robinson★ unanimousUCLA
QB
- Chuck Fusina★ unanimousPenn State
RB
- Charles AlexanderLSU
- Ted BrownNorth Carolina State
- Billy Sims★ unanimousOklahoma
- Charles White★ unanimousUSC
WR
- Emanuel TolbertSMU
TE
- Kellen WinslowMissouri
OT
- Kelvin ClarkNebraska
- Keith Dorney★ unanimousPenn State
C
- Jim RitcherNorth Carolina State
- Dave HuffmanNotre Dame
DL
- Marty LyonsAlabama
- Al Harris★ unanimousArizona State
- Mike BellColorado State
- Bruce Clark★ unanimousPenn State
- Hugh GreenPittsburgh
LB
- Bob Golic★ unanimousNotre Dame
- Tom CousineauOhio State
- Jerry Robinson★ unanimousUCLA
The best games of 1978
The ten best games of the season by Game Score. Switch to the Elo score for a second opinion.
How this is measured
Game score is the college football workbook's own rating of how good a game was; it weighs a lot more than the margin. The Elo score is a second view built from the ratings alone: the two teams' average pre-game Elo, plus stakes (150 for the national championship game, 90 for a playoff game or a major bowl, 40 for another bowl or a conference title game, 15 for a rivalry), plus up to 60 for a close finish and 15 for overtime. The Elo view takes its own top ten from every game between major teams. Sort by any column.
The best games of 197810 games
Rank by
Upsets of 1978
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Win chance is the winner's pre-game probability from the site's college football Elo ratings, home field included, so 3% means the winner would be expected to win about one time in thirty. Games against lower-level opponents count and carry a tag for the level (FCS, Division II and so on). Where the AP poll had ranks, the rank line is shown as context. Elo gap is the loser's pre-game rating minus the winner's.
Upsets of 197810 upsets
1978 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1978 standings by conference14 groups
Atlantic Coast
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-1 | #6 |
| 2 | Maryland | 5-1 | 9-3 | #20 |
| 3 | North Carolina State | 4-2 | 9-3 | #18 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 3-3 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Duke | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Wake Forest | 1-5 | 1-10 | |
| 7 | Virginia | 0-6 | 2-9 |
Big Eight
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 7-1 | 11-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Nebraska★ conference champion | 6-2 | 9-3 | #8 |
| 3 | Iowa State | 4-3 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Missouri | 4-3 | 8-4 | #15 |
| 5 | Kansas State | 3-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Oklahoma State | 3-4 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Colorado | 2-5 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Kansas | 0-7 | 1-10 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan★ conference champion | 7-1 | 10-2 | #5 |
| 2 | Michigan State★ conference champion | 7-1 | 8-3 | #12 |
| 3 | Purdue | 6-1-1 | 9-2-1 | #13 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 6-2 | 7-4-1 | |
| 5 | Minnesota | 4-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 3-4-2 | 5-4-2 | |
| 7 | Indiana | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Iowa | 2-6 | 2-9 | |
| 9 | Illinois | 0-6-2 | 1-8-2 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 0-8-1 | 0-10-1 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dartmouth★ conference champion | 6-1 | 6-3 | |
| 2 | Brown | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Yale | 4-1-2 | 5-2-2 | |
| 4 | Cornell | 3-3-1 | 5-3-1 | |
| 5 | Harvard | 2-4-1 | 4-4-1 | |
| 6 | Columbia | 2-4-1 | 3-5-1 | |
| 7 | Princeton | 1-4-2 | 2-5-2 | |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 1-5-1 | 2-6-1 |
Mid-American
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball State★ conference champion | 8-0 | 10-1 | |
| 2 | Central Michigan | 8-1 | 9-2 | |
| 3 | Miami (OH) | 5-2 | 8-2-1 | |
| 4 | Western Michigan | 5-4 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Ohio | 3-5 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Northern Illinois | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Kent State | 2-6 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | Toledo | 2-7 | 2-9 | |
| 10 | Eastern Michigan | 1-5 | 3-7 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State★ conference champion | 5-1 | 6-5 | |
| 2 | Tulsa | 3-1 | 9-2 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | 3-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Drake | 3-3 | 4-7 | |
| 5 | Indiana State | 2-3 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | Wichita State | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | West Texas State | 1-5 | 3-8 |
Pacific Coast
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose State★ conference champion | 4-1 | 7-5 | |
| 2 | Utah State★ conference champion | 3-1 | 7-4 | |
| 3 | Pacific | 3-2 | 4-8 | |
| 4 | CSU-Fullerton | 2-2 | 5-7 | |
| 5 | Long Beach State | 1-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Fresno State | 1-4 | 3-8 |
Pacific-10
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC★ conference champion | 6-1 | 12-1 | #2 |
| 2 | UCLA | 6-2 | 8-3-1 | #14 |
| 3 | Washington | 6-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Arizona State | 4-3 | 9-3 | |
| 5 | Stanford | 4-3 | 8-4 | #17 |
| 6 | California | 3-4 | 6-5 | |
| 7 | Arizona | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Oregon | 2-5 | 2-9 | |
| 9 | Oregon State | 2-6 | 3-7-1 | |
| 10 | Washington State | 1-7 | 3-7-1 |
Southeastern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama★ conference champion | 6-0 | 11-1 | #1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0-1 | 9-2-1 | #16 |
| 3 | Auburn | 3-2-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 4 | LSU | 3-3 | 8-4 | |
| 5 | Tennessee | 3-3 | 5-5-1 | |
| 6 | Florida | 3-3 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 2-4 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Mississippi | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Kentucky | 2-4 | 4-6-1 | |
| 10 | Vanderbilt | 0-6 | 2-9 |
Southern
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furman★ conference champion | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 2 | UT-Chattanooga★ conference champion | 3-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 3 | Appalachian State | 4-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Western Carolina | 4-2 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Citadel | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | VMI | 0-3 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Marshall | 0-5 | 1-10 |
Southland
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas State | 4-1 | 7-4 | |
| 2 | Louisiana Tech★ conference champion | 4-1 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Texas-Arlington | 3-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | McNeese State | 2-3 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | SW Louisiana | 2-3 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | Lamar | 0-5 | 2-8-1 |
Southwest
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston★ conference champion | 7-1 | 9-3 | #10 |
| 2 | Arkansas | 6-2 | 9-2-1 | #11 |
| 3 | Texas | 6-2 | 9-3 | #9 |
| 4 | Texas Tech | 5-3 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 4-4 | 8-4 | #19 |
| 6 | SMU | 3-5 | 4-6-1 | |
| 7 | Baylor | 3-5 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Rice | 2-6 | 2-9 | |
| 9 | TCU | 0-8 | 2-9 |
Western Athletic
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-4 | |
| 2 | Utah | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Wyoming | 4-2 | 5-7 | |
| 4 | New Mexico | 3-3 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Colorado State | 2-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | San Diego State | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | UTEP | 1-5 | 1-11 |
Independent
33 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | - | 11-1 | #4 |
| 2 | North Texas | - | 9-2 | |
| 3 | East Carolina | - | 9-3 | |
| 4 | Navy | - | 9-3 | |
| 5 | Notre Dame | - | 9-3 | #7 |
| 6 | Rutgers | - | 9-3 | |
| 7 | Florida State | - | 8-3 | |
| 8 | Temple | - | 7-3-1 | |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | - | 8-4 | |
| 10 | Holy Cross | - | 7-4 | |
| 11 | Louisville | - | 7-4 | |
| 12 | Southern Mississippi | - | 7-4 | |
| 13 | UNLV | - | 7-4 | |
| 14 | Northeast Louisiana | - | 6-4-1 | |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | - | 7-5 | |
| 16 | Hawaii | - | 6-5 | |
| 17 | Miami (FL) | - | 6-5 | |
| 18 | South Carolina | - | 5-5-1 | |
| 19 | William & Mary | - | 5-5-1 | |
| 20 | Cincinnati | - | 5-6 | |
| 21 | Northwestern State | - | 5-6 | |
| 22 | Villanova | - | 5-6 | |
| 23 | Army | - | 4-6-1 | |
| 24 | Memphis State | - | 4-7 | |
| 25 | Tulane | - | 4-7 | |
| 26 | Virginia Tech | - | 4-7 | |
| 27 | Air Force | - | 3-8 | |
| 28 | Colgate | - | 3-8 | |
| 29 | Richmond | - | 3-8 | |
| 30 | Syracuse | - | 3-8 | |
| 31 | Illinois State | - | 2-9 | |
| 32 | West Virginia | - | 2-9 | |
| 33 | Boston College | - | 0-11 |
1978 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1978 bowls15 bowls
I-AA. Shown for context. These seasons do not count in this hub’s major-college records.
Champion
I-AA national champion.
I-AA champion
Playoff
Round by round.
I-AA playoff
Semifinals · 2 games
Championship · 1 game
1978 standings by conference
Overall and conference record.
1978 standings by conference6 groups
Big Sky
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Arizona | 6-0 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Montana State | 4-2 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Montana | 4-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | Boise State | 3-3 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | Weber State | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Idaho | 2-4 | 2-9 | |
| 7 | Idaho State | 0-6 | 2-9 |
Mid-Eastern
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina State | 5-0 | 8-2-1 | |
| 2 | North Carolina A&T | 4-2 | 6-6 | |
| 3 | Delaware State | 3-3 | 3-7 | |
| 4 | Morgan State | 2-3 | 4-6-1 | |
| 5 | Howard | 2-4 | 4-6 | |
| 6 | MD-Eastern Shore | 2-4 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | North Carolina Central | 2-4 | 3-8 |
Ohio Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Kentucky | 6-0 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-1 | 8-2 | |
| 3 | Tennessee Tech | 4-2 | 5-6 | |
| 4 | Austin Peay | 3-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | Murray State | 1-5 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Morehead State | 1-5 | 2-6-1 | |
| 7 | Middle Tennessee State | 1-5 | 1-9-1 |
Southwestern Athletic
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grambling | 5-0 | 9-1-1 | |
| 2 | Jackson State | 5-1 | 10-2 | |
| 3 | Mississippi Valley State | 3-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 | Alcorn State | 2-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 5 | Southern | 2-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Texas Southern | 1-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 7 | Prairie View | 1-5 | 3-7 |
Yankee
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 5-0 | 9-4 | |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 3-2 | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Connecticut | 3-2 | 4-7 | |
| 4 | Boston University | 2-3 | 6-4 | |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1-3 | 6-4-1 | |
| 6 | Maine | 0-4 | 3-7-1 |
Independent
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Tennessee State | 2-5 | 4-7 | |
| 2 | Florida A&M | - | 12-1 | |
| 3 | Nevada | - | 11-1 | |
| 4 | Lehigh | - | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Northeastern | - | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Bucknell | - | 5-5 | |
| 7 | Portland State | - | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Lafayette | - | 4-7 |
Where these numbers come from
Enough to disbelieve this page on purpose rather than by accident.
Champions, polls, standings, bowls, honours and games are read from the Citizen of Nowhere college football database, built from its own workbook one season at a time. Team colours and crests are the current programs’, so a school is drawn the way it looks today even where it played under another name.
The AP poll begins in 1936, so earlier seasons have no poll race and no final poll, but they do have an Elo race, and their champions are those the selectors named. Before 1992 there was no title game, so those seasons list the major bowls instead; from 1992 the title game is shown with the other major bowls, and from 2014 the playoff bracket. Where the database has no entry for a section, the section is left out rather than shown empty.
Elo ratings, the upsets and the best games come from the site’s college football Elo, which rates every game since 1869 and counts games against lower-level opponents. Each season’s ratings are shown on a scale where the average major team ends the season at 1500; z is the distance from that average in standard deviations.