🏈 The 1979 college football season
The champion and its path, the poll race week by week, the honours, the best games and every conference table.
Jump to any season1869–2026
1979 national champion
Named by the selectors, with the road it took.
The path, Alabama12-0
- Sep 8atGeorgia TechW30-6
- Sep 22vsBaylorW45-0
- Sep 29atVanderbiltW66-3
- Oct 6vsWichita StateW38-0
- Oct 13atFloridaW40-0
- Oct 20vs#18TennesseeW27-17
- Oct 27vsVirginia TechW31-7
- Nov 3vsMississippi StateW24-7
- Nov 10atLSUW3-0
- Nov 17vsMiami (FL)W30-0
- Dec 1at#14AuburnW25-18
- Jan 1vs#6ArkansasW24-9Sugar Bowl
The 1979 major bowls
No title game this year. The big bowls of the season, by date.
The 1979 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
- 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 | Aug27 | Sep10 | 17 | 24 | Oct1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 29 | Nov5 | 12 | 19 | 26 | Dec3 | Jan3final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| USC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Ohio State | 15 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Houston | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Florida State | 19 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Pittsburgh | 17 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | |||
| Arkansas | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Purdue | 6 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| Washington | 15 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| Texas | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 12 |
| BYU | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 13 | ||||
| Baylor | 17 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 14 | |||||||||
| North Carolina | 18 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 15 | |||||||||
| Auburn | 18 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 16 | |||||
| Temple | 18 | 20 | 17 | ||||||||||||
| Michigan | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 18 |
| Indiana | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 5 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | |||||||
| Tulane | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | |||||||||||
| South Carolina | 19 | 19 | 17 | 16 | |||||||||||
| Clemson | 18 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 18 | 14 | 20 | 17 | |||||||||||
| Tennessee | 19 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 9 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 13 | |||||
| Navy | 20 | 17 | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina State | 19 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 15 | |||||||||
| LSU | 20 | 17 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Missouri | 12 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 15 | |||||||||
| Michigan State | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 19 | |||||||||
| UCLA | 20 | 17 | |||||||||||||
| SMU | 20 | 18 | 19 | ||||||||||||
| Georgia | 11 | 12 | |||||||||||||
| Stanford | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 18 |
Tap a rank to read it and highlight that team on the chart above.
Movers
AP rank on Aug 27 against the final AP rank. NR is not ranked.
Risers
- Ohio StateNR → #4
- Florida State#19 → #6
- BYUNR → #13
- Arkansas#20 → #8
- BaylorNR → #14
Fallers
- Notre Dame#9 → NR
- Michigan State#10 → NR
- Penn State#5 → #20
- Georgia#11 → NR
- Missouri#12 → NR
1979 final polls
The last ranking of the season in each poll.
1979 final pollsAP, Coaches, Elo
AP and Coaches
Jan 3 final| AP | Team | C | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AlabamaAPC | 1 | 12-0 |
| 2 | 2 | 11-0-1 | |
| 3 | 3 | 11-1 | |
| 4 | 4 | 11-1 | |
| 5 | 5 | 11-1 | |
| 6 | 8 | 11-1 | |
| 7 | 6 | 11-1 | |
| 8 | 9 | 10-2 | |
| 9 | 7 | 10-2 | |
| 10 | 10 | 10-2 | |
| 11 | 11 | 9-3 | |
| 12 | 13 | 9-3 | |
| 13 | 12 | 11-1 | |
| 14 | 15 | 8-4 | |
| 15 | 14 | 8-3-1 | |
| 16 | 8-3 | ||
| 17 | 17 | 10-2 | |
| 18 | 19 | 8-4 | |
| 19 | 16 | 8-4 | |
| 20 | 18 | 8-4 | |
| Coaches only | |||
| 20 | |||
Elo top 25
rating, z
APAP championCCoaches champion
The 1979 honours
The Heisman vote and the major awards side by side, then the All-Americans.
The 1979 honoursHeisman: Charles White
Heisman Trophy voting
Major awards
Show all 6 awards
Consensus All-Americans
A star marks a unanimous selection.
- Marc Wilson★ unanimousBYU
- Vagas FergusonNotre Dame
- Billy Sims★ unanimousOklahoma
- Charles White★ unanimousUSC
- Ken MargerumStanford
Show all 13 positions
- Junior Miller★ unanimousNebraska
- Jim Ritcher★ unanimousNorth Carolina State
- Jim StuckeyClemson
- Bruce ClarkPenn State
- Hugh Green★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Steve McMichael★ unanimousTexas
- Jim MillerMississippi
- Ken FritzOhio State
- Brad Budde★ unanimousUSC
- Ron SimmonsFlorida State
- Dale CastroMaryland
- Marc Wilson★ unanimousBYU
- Vagas FergusonNotre Dame
- Billy Sims★ unanimousOklahoma
- Charles White★ unanimousUSC
- Ken MargerumStanford
- Junior Miller★ unanimousNebraska
- Jim Ritcher★ unanimousNorth Carolina State
- Jim StuckeyClemson
- Bruce ClarkPenn State
- Hugh Green★ unanimousPittsburgh
- Steve McMichael★ unanimousTexas
- Jim MillerMississippi
- Ken FritzOhio State
- Brad Budde★ unanimousUSC
- Ron SimmonsFlorida State
- Dale CastroMaryland
The best games of 1979
The ten best games of the season by Game Score. Switch to the Elo score for a second opinion.
How this is measured
The best games of 197910 games
Upsets of 1979
The results the ratings gave the winner the least chance of, lowest first.
How this is measured
Upsets of 197910 upsets
1979 standings by conference
Every conference at once: conference and overall record, and the final AP rank. A star marks the conference champion.
1979 standings by conference14 groups
Atlantic Coast
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina State★ conference champion | 5-1 | 7-4 | |
| 2 | Clemson | 4-2 | 8-4 | |
| 3 | Maryland | 4-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 3-2 | 8-4 | |
| 5 | North Carolina | 3-3 | 8-3-1 | #15 |
| 6 | Virginia | 1-4 | 6-5 | |
| 7 | Duke | 0-6 | 2-8-1 |
Big Eight
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma★ conference champion | 7-0 | 11-1 | #3 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 6-1 | 10-2 | #9 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 5-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Missouri | 3-4 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Colorado | 2-5 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | Iowa State | 2-5 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Kansas | 2-5 | 3-8 | |
| 8 | Kansas State | 1-6 | 3-8 |
Big Ten
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State★ conference champion | 8-0 | 11-1 | #4 |
| 2 | Purdue | 7-1 | 10-2 | #10 |
| 3 | Michigan | 6-2 | 8-4 | #18 |
| 4 | Indiana | 5-3 | 8-4 | #19 |
| 5 | Iowa | 4-4 | 5-6 | |
| 6 | Minnesota | 3-5-1 | 4-6-1 | |
| 7 | Michigan State | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | Illinois | 1-6-1 | 2-8-1 | |
| 10 | Northwestern | 0-9 | 1-10 |
Ivy
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yale★ conference champion | 6-1 | 8-1 | |
| 2 | Brown | 5-2 | 6-3 | |
| 3 | Princeton | 5-2 | 5-4 | |
| 4 | Cornell | 4-3 | 5-4 | |
| 5 | Dartmouth | 4-3 | 4-4-1 | |
| 6 | Harvard | 3-4 | 3-6 | |
| 7 | Columbia | 1-6 | 1-8 | |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 0-7 | 0-9 |
Mid-American
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Michigan★ conference champion | 8-0-1 | 10-0-1 | |
| 2 | Toledo | 7-1-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 5-4 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Ball State | 4-4 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | Ohio | 4-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | Northern Illinois | 3-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 7 | Miami (OH) | 3-4 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Bowling Green | 3-5 | 4-7 | |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 1-6-1 | 2-8-1 | |
| 10 | Kent State | 1-8 | 1-10 |
Missouri Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa | 2-0 | 6-5 | |
| 2 | West Texas State★ conference champion | 5-0 | 5-5-1 | |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Indiana State | 3-2 | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Drake | 1-4 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | New Mexico State | 1-5 | 2-9 | |
| 7 | Wichita State | 1-5 | 1-10 |
Pacific Coast
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah State★ conference champion | 4-0-1 | 7-3-1 | |
| 2 | San Jose State | 4-0-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 3 | Long Beach State | 3-2 | 7-4 | |
| 4 | Fresno State | 2-3 | 4-7 | |
| 5 | CSU-Fullerton | 1-4 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | Pacific | 0-5 | 3-7 |
Pacific-10
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC★ conference champion | 6-0-1 | 11-0-1 | #2 |
| 2 | Washington | 5-2 | 9-3 | #11 |
| 3 | Oregon | 4-3 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Arizona | 4-3 | 6-5-1 | |
| 5 | California | 5-4 | 6-6 | |
| 6 | Stanford | 3-3-1 | 5-5-1 | |
| 7 | Arizona State | 3-4 | 6-6 | |
| 8 | UCLA | 3-4 | 5-6 | |
| 9 | Washington State | 2-6 | 3-8 | |
| 10 | Oregon State | 1-7 | 1-10 |
Southeastern
10 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama★ conference champion | 6-0 | 12-0 | #1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-1 | 6-5 | |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-2 | 8-3 | #16 |
| 4 | LSU | 4-2 | 7-5 | |
| 5 | Tennessee | 3-3 | 7-5 | |
| 6 | Kentucky | 3-3 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Mississippi | 3-3 | 4-7 | |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 2-4 | 3-8 | |
| 9 | Vanderbilt | 0-6 | 1-10 | |
| 10 | Florida | 0-6 | 0-10-1 |
Southern
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UT-Chattanooga★ conference champion | 5-1 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | VMI | 4-1 | 6-4-1 | |
| 3 | Citadel | 4-2 | 6-5 | |
| 4 | Furman | 4-3 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | Appalachian State | 3-4 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | East Tennessee State | 2-3 | 7-4 | |
| 7 | Western Carolina | 2-4 | 6-5 | |
| 8 | Marshall | 0-6 | 1-10 |
Southland
6 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McNeese State★ conference champion | 5-0 | 11-1 | |
| 2 | Texas-Arlington | 4-1 | 9-2 | |
| 3 | Lamar | 3-2 | 6-3-2 | |
| 4 | Arkansas State | 1-4 | 4-7 | |
| 5 | SW Louisiana | 1-4 | 4-7 | |
| 6 | Louisiana Tech | 1-4 | 2-9 |
Southwest
9 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston★ conference champion | 7-1 | 11-1 | #5 |
| 2 | Arkansas★ conference champion | 7-1 | 10-2 | #8 |
| 3 | Texas | 6-2 | 9-3 | #12 |
| 4 | Baylor | 5-3 | 8-4 | #14 |
| 5 | Texas A&M | 4-4 | 6-5 | |
| 6 | SMU | 3-5 | 5-6 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 2-5-1 | 3-6-2 | |
| 8 | TCU | 1-6-1 | 2-8-1 | |
| 9 | Rice | 0-8 | 1-10 |
Western Athletic
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU★ conference champion | 7-0 | 11-1 | #13 |
| 2 | Utah | 5-2 | 6-6 | |
| 3 | San Diego State | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Hawaii | 3-3 | 6-5 | |
| 5 | New Mexico | 3-4 | 6-6 | |
| 6 | Colorado State | 3-4 | 4-7-1 | |
| 7 | Wyoming | 2-5 | 4-8 | |
| 8 | UTEP | 0-7 | 2-9 |
Independent
32 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State | - | 11-1 | #6 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | - | 11-1 | #7 |
| 3 | Temple | - | 10-2 | #17 |
| 4 | UNLV | - | 9-1-2 | |
| 5 | Tulane | - | 9-3 | |
| 6 | Rutgers | - | 8-3 | |
| 7 | East Carolina | - | 7-3-1 | |
| 8 | Penn State | - | 8-4 | #20 |
| 9 | South Carolina | - | 8-4 | |
| 10 | Navy | - | 7-4 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | - | 7-4 | |
| 12 | Southern Mississippi | - | 6-4-1 | |
| 13 | Syracuse | - | 7-5 | |
| 14 | Colgate | - | 5-4-1 | |
| 15 | Boston College | - | 5-6 | |
| 16 | Holy Cross | - | 5-6 | |
| 17 | Memphis State | - | 5-6 | |
| 18 | Miami (FL) | - | 5-6 | |
| 19 | North Texas | - | 5-6 | |
| 20 | Villanova | - | 5-6 | |
| 21 | Virginia Tech | - | 5-6 | |
| 22 | West Virginia | - | 5-6 | |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | - | 4-6-1 | |
| 24 | Louisville | - | 4-6-1 | |
| 25 | William & Mary | - | 4-7 | |
| 26 | Northwestern State | - | 3-6 | |
| 27 | Illinois State | - | 3-8 | |
| 28 | Northeast Louisiana | - | 3-8 | |
| 29 | Army | - | 2-8-1 | |
| 30 | Air Force | - | 2-9 | |
| 31 | Cincinnati | - | 2-9 | |
| 32 | Richmond | - | 0-11 |
1979 bowls
One line per game, latest first. A tag marks the playoff and the other major bowls.
1979 bowls15 bowls
I-AA. Shown for context. These seasons do not count in this hub’s major-college records.
Champion
I-AA national champion.
Playoff
Round by round.
1979 standings by conference
Overall and conference record.
1979 standings by conference6 groups
Big Sky
8 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise State | 7-0 | 10-1 | |
| 2 | Montana State | 6-1 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | Nevada | 5-2 | 8-4 | |
| 4 | Northern Arizona | 3-4 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | Weber State | 3-4 | 3-8 | |
| 6 | Idaho | 2-5 | 4-7 | |
| 7 | Montana | 2-5 | 3-7 | |
| 8 | Idaho State | 0-7 | 11-0 |
Mid-Eastern
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan State | 5-0 | 9-2 | |
| 2 | South Carolina State | 4-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | North Carolina A&T | 2-2 | 4-6-1 | |
| 4 | Howard | 2-3 | 5-6 | |
| 5 | North Carolina Central | 1-4 | 2-8-1 | |
| 6 | Delaware State | 0-4 | 4-5-1 | |
| 7 | MD-Eastern Shore | - | 3-7-1 |
Ohio Valley
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murray State | 6-0 | 9-2-1 | |
| 2 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-1 | 11-2 | |
| 3 | Morehead State | 3-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 4 | Western Kentucky | 3-3 | 5-5 | |
| 5 | Austin Peay | 2-4 | 7-4 | |
| 6 | Middle Tennessee State | 1-5 | 1-9 | |
| 7 | Tennessee Tech | 0-5 | 1-8-2 |
Southwestern Athletic
7 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alcorn State | 5-1 | 8-2 | |
| 2 | Grambling | 5-1 | 8-3 | |
| 3 | Jackson State | 4-2 | 8-3 | |
| 4 | Southern | 4-2 | 7-4 | |
| 5 | Mississippi Valley State | 2-4 | 4-5 | |
| 6 | Texas Southern | 1-5 | 3-8 | |
| 7 | Prairie View | 0-6 | 0-11 |
Yankee
5 teams| # | Team | Conf | All | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston University | 4-1 | 8-1-1 | |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 4-1 | 6-4 | |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 2-2 | 5-4-2 | |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1-4 | 1-9-1 | |
| 5 | Maine | 0-5 | 2-9 |
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.