In its tenth season under head coach Don James, the team compiled an 11–1 record, was ranked a close second in the two major polls,[1] and outscored its opponents 352 to 145.
[2] Washington upset Michigan in Ann Arbor in September,[3] and had climbed up to the top ranking, but fell to #14 USC in Los Angeles on November 10.
[4][5] The Huskies rebounded the next week to win the Apple Cup over Washington State in Pullman and finished the regular season at 10–1.
[12] However, the final AP and Coaches polls both declared the BYU Cougars as national champions.
Dan Eernissee, Danny Greene, Tim Meamber, and Rodgers were the team captains.