American college football season
The 1978 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. Following the season, the Trojans were crowned national champions according to the Coaches Poll. While Alabama claimed the AP Poll title because it had defeated top-ranked Penn State in the Sugar Bowl, the Trojans felt they deserved the title since they had defeated Alabama and Notre Dame during the regular season, and then Michigan in the Rose Bowl.[1] Both USC and Alabama ended their seasons with a single loss.
Schedule
The Trojans finished the regular season with an 11–1 record before going on to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 17–10 in the Rose Bowl.
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
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September 16 | at Oregon | No. 8 | | W 37–10 | 31,000 |
September 23 | at No. 1 Alabama* | No. 7 | | W 24–14 | 77,313 |
September 29 | Michigan State* | No. 3 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 30–9 | 65,319 |
October 14 | at Arizona State | No. 2 | | L 7–20 | 70,138 |
October 21 | Oregon State | No. 7 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 38–7 | 53,734 |
October 28 | California | No. 6 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 42–17 | 56,954 |
November 4 | at Stanford | No. 6 | | W 13–7 | 84,084 |
November 11 | No. 19 Washington | No. 5 | - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- Los Angeles, CA
| W 28–10 | 54,071 |
November 18 | at No. 14 UCLA | No. 5 | | W 17–10 | 90,387 |
November 25 | No. 8 Notre Dame* | No. 3 | | W 27–25 | 84,256 |
December 2 | at Hawaii* | No. 3 | | W 21–5 | 48,767 |
January 1, 1979 | vs. No. 5 Michigan* | No. 3 | | W 17–10 | 105,629 |
- *Non-conference game
Homecoming- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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1978 Trojans in the NFL
All 22 starters played in the NFL.[3]
Awards and honors
Charles White: Heisman trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, UPI Player of the Year