John Robinson of USC should have an opinion, but no one asked him on August 27, 2012 when he spoke to the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
Wikipedia reports USC’s results that year:
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 title because it had defeated top-ranked Penn State on the field, the Trojans pointed out that they had also only lost once and had beaten Alabama in the regular season.
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Texas Tech* | #9 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 17–9 | 50,321 | |||
| September 16 | at Oregon | #8 | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | W 37–10 | 31,000 | |||
| September 23 | vs. #1 Alabama* | #7 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 24–14 | 77,313 | |||
| September 29 | Michigan State* | #3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 30–9 | 65,319 | |||
| October 14 | at Arizona State | #2 | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | L 7–20 | 70,138 | |||
| October 21 | Oregon State |
#7 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 38–7 | 53,734 | |||
| October 28 | California | #6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 42–17 | 56,954 | |||
| November 4 | at Stanford | #6 | Stanford Stadium • Palo Alto, CA | W 13–7 | 84,084 | |||
| November 11 | #19 Washington | #5 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | W 28–10 | 54,071 | |||
| November 18 | at #14 UCLA | #5 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Battle for the Victory Bell) | W 17–10 | 90,387 | |||
| November 25 | #8 Notre Dame* | #3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Notre Dame – USC rivalry) | W 27–25 | 84,256 | |||
| December 2 | at Hawaii* | #3 | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | W 21–5 | 48,767 | |||
| January 1 | vs. #5 Michigan* | #3 | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (1979 Rose Bowl) | W 17–10 | 105,629 | |||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
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Alabama’ results according to Wikipedia:
The only blemish on Alabama’s record in 1978 was a loss to Southern California. Bama turned the ball over six times in that game.[23] The next week’s 51–28 victory over Vanderbilt started what became an all-time school record 28-game winning streak.
The 1979 Sugar Bowl against Penn State would go down as a classic.[13] Alabama scored in the second quarter, then Penn State answered in the third, then Alabama took a 14–7 lead on a touchdown set up by a 62-yard punt return. Penn State had a chance to tie in the fourth, but quarterback Chuck Fusina threw an interception into the Alabama end zone.[24] Then Alabama had a chance to put the game away, but fumbled the football back to Penn State at the Nittany Lion 19-yard-line with four minutes to go.[13] Penn State drove to a first and goal at the Alabama eight. On third and goal from the one, Fusina asked Bama linebacker Marty Lyons “What do you think we should do?”, and Lyons answered “You’d better pass.”[25] On third down, Penn State was stopped inches short of the goal line. On fourth down, Penn State was stopped again, Barry Krauss meeting Mike Guman and throwing him back for no gain. Alabama held on for a 14–7 victory. The Crimson Tide split the national championship, winning the AP poll while Southern California won the UPI Coaches’ poll. It was Alabama’s fifth wire service national championship.
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | #10 Nebraska* | #1 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 20–3 | 77,023 | |||
| September 16 | at #11 Missouri* | #1 | Memorial Stadium • Columbia, MO | W 38–20 | 73,655 | |||
| September 23 | #7 USC* | #1 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | L 14–24 | 77,313 | |||
| September 30 | Vanderbilt | #7 | Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 51–28 | 56,910 | |||
| October 7 | at Washington* | #8 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 20–17 | 60,975 | |||
| October 14 | Florida | #7 | Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 23–12 | 60,210 | |||
| October 21 | at Tennessee | #4 | Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October) | W 30–17 | 85,436 | |||
| October 28 | Virginia Tech* |
#3 | Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 35–0 | 60,210 | |||
| November 4 | Mississippi State | #3 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 35–14 | 74,217 | |||
| November 11 | #10 LSU | #3 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 31–10 | 76,831 | |||
| December 2 | vs. Auburn | #2 | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl) | W 34–16 | 79,218 | |||
| January 1, 1979 | vs. #1 Penn State* | #2 | Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) | W 14–7 | 76,824 | |||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
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Alabama Football-1978 Poll Controversy
Uploaded by BAMAGOALPOST on Jun 25, 2011
Alabama Football-1978 Poll Controversy involving Alabama and Southern Cal
