This was an extremely dominant Alabama team, only giving up 67 points the entire season and shutting out five opponents.

A fumbled hold on the snap from center cost the Trojans a chance at a last-second field goal.

Stanford was led by quarterback Turk Schonert, while freshman John Elway served as his backup.

USC ended up finishing second in the country, but running back Charles White brought home the Heisman Trophy.

13 Michigan in Ann Arbor by a score of 18–15 to earn the Big Ten title.

14 Auburn 25–18 in Birmingham, but the AP voters saw fit to jump Ohio State ahead of them.

1 USC began the year on the road with a 21–7 victory over Texas Tech in Lubbock, while No.

9 Notre Dame on a blocked field goal attempt as time expired.

17 Purdue, the team which they had just replaced in the top five, and lost 28–22 on a second-half comeback by the Boilermakers.

2 Alabama opened conference play in dominant fashion with a 66–3 victory at Vanderbilt, while Oklahoma overpowered Rice 63–21.

1 USC blew a 21–0 halftime lead to Stanford, and the game ended in a 21–21 tie.

2 Alabama took over the top spot with a 40–0 victory over Florida; the Crimson Tide had outscored their first five opponents 219–9.

4 Texas met in the annual Red River Shootout, and the Longhorns prevailed 16–7.

1 Alabama finally allowed an opponent to reach double digits in points, but still beat No.

Ohio State had not been expected to be a major contender after the controversial firing of coach Woody Hayes, but the Buckeyes had risen to No.

6 in the polls under the direction of Earle Bruce, and a 59–0 win over Wisconsin brought them even higher.

2 Nebraska allowed an opponent to score for the first time in almost a month, but the Cornhuskers were still dominant in a 38–10 win over Colorado.

6 Houston met in Fayetteville, and the Cougars won 13–10 on a late field goal.

2 Nebraska had a close call against Missouri, which had beaten them in an upset the previous year.

1 Alabama had trouble against unranked LSU, who held the Crimson Tide to a single field goal, but two fourth-quarter interceptions preserved a 3–0 win for coach Bear Bryant's squad.

2 Nebraska also struggled against last-place Kansas State, winning 21-12 despite losing five fumbles.

4 USC clinched the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth with a 24–17 win over the second-place team, No.

As was so often the case in the 1970s, the Big Ten title was decided in the Ohio State-Michigan game.

The Wolverines had defeated the Buckeyes three years in a row (holding them without a touchdown in each game), but this time No.

8 Oklahoma, both undefeated in conference play, squared off for the Big 8 title and a spot in the Orange Bowl.

The Sooners won 17–14 behind 247 rushing yards from defending Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims.

14 Auburn in the Iron Bowl, but the rival Tigers gave the Crimson Tide all they could handle.

Alabama finally won 25–18 to preserve their perfect record and earn the SEC title and a Sugar Bowl berth.

A Longhorns loss (13–7 at Texas A&M) and a Cougars win (63–0 over Rice) delivered the Cotton Bowl berth to Houston, which shared the conference title with Arkansas but held the tiebreaker over the Razorbacks by virtue of their head-to-head win in October.

Alabama and Ohio State were both 11–0; the Coaches’ Poll kept the Crimson Tide in the top spot, but the AP voters moved the Buckeyes ahead after Alabama struggled to win their final game.