The 1975 NCAA Division I football season saw University of Oklahoma repeat as national champion in the Associated Press (AP) writers' poll, and were ranked No.
ASU finished as the only undefeated team of the season with their victory over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.
Arizona State was recognized by Sporting News and National Championship Foundation as the No.
During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for major 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.
In addition to the following programs the Southland Conference was also classified as University Division.
In the preseason poll released on September 1, the AP ranked Oklahoma first, followed by Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and USC.
2 Alabama lost its home opener in Birmingham to unranked Missouri, 20–7.
The Nittany Lions struggled to defeat Temple in a game in Philadelphia, winning 26–25.
5 Missouri played its third straight game against a Big Ten team, losing at No.
USC's close game and Nebraska's blowout caused a slight change in the next poll: No.
4 USC abruptly lost 28–14 at California, beginning a four-game losing streak after a 7–0 start.
2 Oklahoma was stunned 23–3 in Norman by the visiting Kansas Jayhawks, led by quarterback Nolan Cromwell.
November 22: The game that determined the Big Ten championship took place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as unbeaten (10–0) No.
Oklahoma handed the Cornhuskers their first loss, 35–10, and Nebraska settled for a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.
4 Alabama closed its season with its tenth straight win after its opening loss, a 28–0 win over Auburn in Birmingham, and clinched the SEC title and a Sugar Bowl berth against Penn State.
14 UCLA earned the Pac-8 championship and a Rose Bowl rematch with Ohio State, who had defeated them in early October.
The final AP poll released on December 1 was led by two undefeated teams, No.
7 Arizona State, which was undefeated at 11−0 but had been unable to crack the top five all year, would meet No.
California won their first Pac title in 17 years by sharing it with UCLA, but the Bruins (who beat the team in the season) was awarded the Rose Bowl and was then left out of any bowls, as were Washington and Stanford, all of whom beat and finished ahead of USC.
Michigan, the Big Ten runner up, was invited to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, which passed over higher-ranked Alabama (10–1), who met Penn State in the Sugar Bowl, rather than the higher-ranked Big 8 runner-up, Nebraska.
The Huskers went to the Fiesta Bowl to play host Arizona State (11–0).
USC sent McKay out a winner and climbed to 17th, as they shut out uninspired Texas A&M, still reeling from being upset by Arkansas on December 6 and losing out on the Cotton Bowl bid.
The day after Christmas, Arizona State, the WAC champion, won arguably the biggest game to date in their history over Big 8 runner-up Nebraska, 17–14.
Arizona State was one of two Division I teams to finish undefeated and untied as they completed a 12–0 season.
Another ASU, Arkansas State, also finished unbeaten and untied, but were unranked.
New Year's Eve saw Alabama beat Penn State 13–6 in the Sugar Bowl.
On New Year's Day, Arkansas beat SEC runner up Georgia in the Cotton Bowl 31–10.
After that game, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was so impressed by UCLA in defeat, he predicted that his Buckeyes would be playing the Bruins again in the Rose Bowl.
UCLA was the only team to score more than 14 points on Ohio State all season, and they did it twice.