The 1977 NCAA Division I football season was one in which the top five teams finished with 11–1 records.
Notre Dame, which beat top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, became the national champion.
On the eve of a national playoff for the smaller programs that would be I-AA, the Sugar Bowl in 1977 became the fourth bowl game to sign a contract guaranteeing an appearance by a major conference champion.
Top teams that had their choice of which bowl to play were either independent or in a conference outside the five major powers (such as the ACC or WAC).
During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for major college football teams, which became Division I-A in 1978.
The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the final "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls.
In the preseason poll released on September 5, the AP ranked Oklahoma first, followed by Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State.
Sixth was Alabama, and defending champion Pittsburgh (minus Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, who had moved on to the NFL, and coach Johnny Majors, who had been hired away by Tennessee) was ranked seventh.
Though the Sooners avoided an upset, their narrow 25–23 win didn't impress the pollsters.
In a close game, the visiting Sooners won 29–28 after a touchdown, an onside kick recovery, and a last-second field goal by Uwe von Schamann; since Michigan had struggled against an unranked opponent, Oklahoma reclaimed first place in the next poll.
7 Alabama; the Tide intercepted a two-point conversion try by USC in the final minute to seal the upset.
Hall of Fame coaches Darrell Royal of Texas and Frank Broyles of Arkansas had both retired after the 1976 season, with Fred Akers and Lou Holtz inheriting their mantles.
11 Notre Dame, which had improved dramatically since coach Dan Devine elevated Joe Montana to the starting quarterback spot, wore their green jerseys for the first time in decades and overwhelmed No.
For the second year in a row, the Buckeyes entered the weekend a game ahead of the Wolverines in the conference standings but ended up falling short.
17 UCLA could have earned a Rose Bowl berth with a win over USC, but the Trojans prevailed 29–27 on a last-second field goal, giving No.
To make matters worse, the top four teams were all locked into different bowls because of conference tie-ins, meaning that none of them could play each other in a de facto national title game.
The eventual matchups were Texas against Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma against Arkansas in the Orange, Alabama against No.
Kentucky was left out due to its probation, and Penn State settled for a Fiesta Bowl matchup against No.
Monday, January 2, 1978 Two former NFL head coaching failures became college football successes, upsetting the No.
Dan Devine had been unspectacular at Green Bay before succeeding Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame in 1975, while Lou Holtz had coached the New York Jets to a 3–11 finish in 1976 before taking over at Arkansas.
The largest crowd in Cotton Bowl history (76,701) turned out in Dallas to watch the unbeaten No.
Running back Vagas Ferguson scored three touchdowns, including one on a pass from Joe Montana in a 38–10 win.
4 Michigan hoped an impressive win over the Washington might vault them to a possible national championship.
However, the Huskies, led by Rose Bowl MVP Warren Moon, raced to a 24–0 lead in the third quarter and held on for a 27–20 upset.
The Razorbacks had finished behind Texas in SWC play and had settled for the Orange Bowl.
The Sooners were 18-point favorites but Cowins' backup Roland Sales rushed for two touchdowns and over 200 yards as the Razorbacks shut down the Sooners' ground game en route to a 24–0 lead after three quarters and a massive 31–6 upset.
[8] The national championship was disputed as there were six teams with one loss: Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State, and Kentucky (prohibited from playing in a bowl due to NCAA probation).
Amidst this confusion, there were several good choices for a champion; giant killers Notre Dame and Arkansas, and third-ranked Alabama, and Texas.
In the final polls, the electors for AP and UPI were expectedly divided, but a majority in each picked Notre Dame.
[10] Devine, who had followed in the footsteps of both Vince Lombardi and Parseghian, reversed his earlier plans and continued as head coach in 1978.