1979 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season saw the Alabama Crimson Tide bring home a national title with a perfect 12-0 season. The title was Alabama's 11th claimed, and their 6th Associated Press awarded title.

1979 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams139[1]
Preseason AP No. 1USC
Post-season
Bowl games15
Heisman TrophyCharles White (running back, USC)
Champion(s)Alabama
Division I-A football seasons
← 1978
1980 →

This was an extremely dominant Alabama team, only giving up 67 points the entire season and shutting out five opponents. The team won a tight game against LSU 3-0 and beat Auburn by a touchdown before beating Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl.

There was very little movement at the top of the rankings throughout the season, as only three different teams held the top spot in the AP poll and only two in the UPI poll. USC was the pre-season top-ranked team, and held the number one ranking until a 21–21 tie with Stanford, a game USC led at halftime 21–0. 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.

Number 2 Alabama then took over the top spot and never relinquished that position in the UPI poll. In the AP poll, however, Ohio State took over the top spot in the last regular season poll of the season. Ohio State had defeated #13 Michigan in Ann Arbor by a score of 18–15 to earn the Big Ten title. Two weeks later, Alabama defeated #14 Auburn 25-18 in Birmingham, but the AP voters saw fit to jump Ohio State ahead of them.

Thus, Ohio State came within one point of a national title under first-year coach Earle Bruce, who replaced coach Woody Hayes, falling to USC 17–16 in the Rose Bowl after an undefeated season.

Rule changes
  • Blocking below the waist is prohibited on fumble recoveries (before they touch the ground), interceptions of forward and backward passes, on wide receivers beyond five yards past the line of scrimmage, on kickers until they are five yards past the line of scrimmage, and by backs beyond three yards past the line of scrimmage.
  • Adding an automatic first down to defensive penalties for spearing, blows to the head or helmet, or kicking an opponent.
  • Fouls committed by the receiving team during punts and kickoffs after the ball crosses the line of scrimmage result in enforcement from the spot of the foul, not from the previous spot and a re-kick as was previously the case.
  • Eliminating offsetting penalties when a dead-ball foul is involved.

Conference and program changes
School1978 Conference1979 Conference
East Tennessee State BuccaneersOhio Valley (I-AA)Southern (I-A)
Hawaiʻi Rainbow WarriorsIndependentWAC

While Georgia Tech joined the ACC in non-football sports, the Yellow Jackets would not join ACC football until 1983.

Conference standings
1979 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
NC State $ 5 –1 –0  7 –4 –0
Clemson 4 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
Maryland 4 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
Wake Forest 3 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 15 North Carolina 3 –3 –0  8 –3 –1
Virginia 1 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Duke 0 –6 –0  2 –8 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 3 Oklahoma $ 7 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 9 Nebraska 6 –1 –0  10 –2 –0
Oklahoma State 5 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
Missouri 3 –4 –0  7 –5 –0
Colorado 2 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Iowa State 2 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Kansas 2 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Kansas State 1 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 Ohio State $ 8 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 10 Purdue 7 –1 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 18 Michigan 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 19 Indiana 5 –3 –0  8 –4 –0
Iowa 4 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Minnesota 3 –5 –1  4 –6 –1
Michigan State 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Wisconsin 3 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Illinois 1 –6 –1  2 –8 –1
Northwestern 0 –9 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Ivy League football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Yale $ 6 –1 –0  8 –1 –0
Brown 5 –2 –0  6 –3 –0
Princeton 5 –2 –0  5 –4 –0
Cornell 4 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
Dartmouth 4 –3 –0  4 –4 –1
Harvard 3 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Columbia 1 –6 –0  1 –8 –0
Penn 0 –7 –0  0 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1979 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Central Michigan $ 8 –0 –1  10 –0 –1
Toledo 7 –1 –1  7 –3 –1
Western Michigan 5 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Ball State 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Ohio 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Northern Illinois 3 –3 –1  5 –5 –1
Miami 3 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Bowling Green 3 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Eastern Michigan 1 –6 –1  2 –8 –1
Kent State 1 –8 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1979 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
West Texas State $ 5 –0 –0  5 –5 –1
Southern Illinois 4 –1 –0  8 –3 –0
Indiana State 3 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
Drake 1 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
New Mexico State 1 –5 –0  2 –9 –0
Wichita State 1 –5 –0  1 –10 –0
Tulsa   –    6 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Tulsa was ineligible for MVC title
1979 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Utah State $ 5 –0 –0  8 –3 –0
Long Beach State 3 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
Fresno State 3 –2 –0  5 –6 –0
Cal State Fullerton 2 –3 –0  4 –7 –0
San Jose State 2 –3 –0  3 –8 –0
Pacific (CA) 0 –5 –0  3 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Records adjusted for San Jose State forfeits
1979 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 USC $ 6 –0 –1  11 –0 –1
No. 11 Washington 5 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
Arizona 4 –3 –0  6 –5 –1
Oregon 4 –3 –0  6 –5 –0
California 5 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Stanford 3 –3 –1  5 –5 –1
Arizona State † 3 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
UCLA 3 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Washington State 2 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
Oregon State 1 –7 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • † – Arizona State later forfeited 5 wins (3 in conference) due to NCAA sanctions[2]
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 Alabama $ 6 –0 –0  12 –0 –0
Georgia 5 –1 –0  6 –5 –0
No. 16 Auburn 4 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
LSU 4 –2 –0  7 –5 –0
Tennessee 3 –3 –0  7 –5 –0
Kentucky 3 –3 –0  5 –6 –0
Ole Miss 3 –3 –0  4 –7 –0
Mississippi State 2 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
Vanderbilt 0 –6 –0  1 –10 –0
Florida 0 –6 –0  0 –10 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Southern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Chattanooga $ 5 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
VMI 4 –1 –0  6 –4 –1
The Citadel 4 –2 –0  6 –5 –0
Furman 4 –3 –0  5 –6 –0
Appalachian State 3 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
East Tennessee State 2 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
Western Carolina 2 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Marshall 0 –6 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Southland Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
McNeese State $ 5 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
Texas–Arlington 4 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
Lamar 3 –2 –0  6 –3 –2
Arkansas State 1 –4 –0  4 –7 –0
Southwestern Louisiana 1 –4 –0  4 –7 –0
Louisiana Tech 1 –4 –0  2 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Louisiana Tech record includes one win by forfeit.
1979 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 5 Houston + 7 –1 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 8 Arkansas + 7 –1 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 12 Texas 6 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
No. 14 Baylor 5 –3 –0  8 –4 –0
Texas A&M 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
SMU 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Texas Tech 2 –5 –1  3 –6 –2
TCU 1 –6 –1  2 –8 –1
Rice 0 –8 –0  1 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 13 BYU $ 7 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
Utah 5 –2 –0  6 –6 –0
San Diego State 4 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
Hawaii 3 –3 –0  6 –5 –0
New Mexico 3 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Colorado State 3 –4 –0  4 –7 –1
Wyoming 2 –5 –0  4 –8 –0
UTEP 0 –7 –0  2 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 6 Florida State   –  –   11 –1 –0
No. 7 Pittsburgh   –  –   11 –1 –0
UNLV   –  –   9 –1 –2
No. 17 Temple   –  –   10 –2 –0
Tulane   –  –   9 –3 –0
Rutgers   –  –   8 –3 –0
East Carolina   –  –   7 –3 –1
No. 20 Penn State   –  –   8 –4 –0
South Carolina   –  –   8 –4 –0
Navy   –  –   7 –4 –0
Notre Dame   –  –   7 –4 –0
Southern Miss   –  –   6 –4 –1
Syracuse   –  –   7 –5 –0
Colgate   –  –   5 –4 –1
Boston College   –  –   5 –6 –0
Holy Cross   –  –   5 –6 –0
Memphis   –  –   5 –6 –0
Miami   –  –   5 –6 –0
North Texas State   –  –   5 –6 –0
Villanova   –  –   5 –6 –0
Virginia Tech   –  –   5 –6 –0
West Virginia   –  –   5 –6 –0
Georgia Tech   –  –   4 –6 –1
Louisville   –  –   4 –6 –1
William & Mary   –  –   4 –7 –0
Illinois State   –  –   3 –8 –0
Northeast Louisiana   –  –   3 –8 –0
Army   –  –   2 –8 –1
Air Force   –  –   2 –9 –0
Cincinnati   –  –   2 –9 –0
Richmond   –  –   0 –11 –0
Rankings from AP Poll

#1 and #2 progress
WEEKS #1 #2 Event
PRE-5 USC Alabama Stanford 21, USC 21 (Oct 13)
6 Alabama Texas Arkansas 17, Texas 14 (Oct 20)
7-9 Alabama Nebraska Ohio State 34, Iowa 7 (Nov 10)
10-11 Alabama Ohio State USC 49, UCLA 14 (Nov 24)
12 Alabama USC
13 Ohio State Alabama USC 17, Ohio State 16

Notable rivalry games
  • Alabama 25, Auburn 18
  • Oklahoma 17, Nebraska 14
  • Ohio State 18, Michigan 14
  • Navy 31, Army 7
  • Texas 16, Oklahoma 7
  • Texas A&M 13, Texas 7
  • Tulane 24, LSU 13
  • USC 42, Notre Dame 23
  • USC 49, UCLA 14
  • California 21, Stanford 14
  • Pitt 29, Penn State 14

Bowl games
Rose Bowl #3 USC 17 #1 Ohio State 16
Sugar Bowl #2 Alabama 24 #6 Arkansas 9
Orange Bowl #5 Oklahoma 24 #4 Florida State 7
Cotton Bowl #8 Houston 17 #7 Nebraska 14

Other Bowls:

Bluebonnet Bowl #12 Purdue 27 Tennessee 22
Peach Bowl #19 Baylor 24 #18 Clemson 18
Hall of Fame Classic Missouri 24 #16 South Carolina 14
Gator Bowl North Carolina 17 #14 Michigan 15
Fiesta Bowl #10 Pittsburgh 16 Arizona 10
Sun Bowl #13 Washington 14 #11 Texas 7
Liberty Bowl Penn State 9 #15 Tulane 6
Tangerine Bowl LSU 34 Wake Forest 10
Holiday Bowl Indiana 38 #9 Brigham Young 37
Garden State Bowl #20 Temple 28 California 17
Independence Bowl Syracuse 31 McNeese State 7

Final AP and UPI rankings
Main article: 1979 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Rank AP UPI
1. Alabama Alabama
2. USC USC
3. Oklahoma Oklahoma
4. Ohio State Ohio State
5. Houston Houston
6. Florida State Pittsburgh
7. Pittsburgh Nebraska
8. Arkansas Florida State
9. Nebraska Arkansas
10. Purdue Purdue
11. Washington Washington
12. Texas BYU
13. BYU Texas
14. Baylor North Carolina
15. North Carolina Baylor
16. Auburn Indiana
17. Temple Temple
18. Michigan Penn State
19. Indiana Michigan
20. Penn State Missouri

Heisman Trophy
  1. Charles White, TB, USC, 1,695 points
  2. Billy Sims, HB, Oklahoma, 773
  3. Marc Wilson, QB, BYU, 589
  4. Art Schlichter, QB, Ohio State, 251
  5. Vagas Ferguson, TB, Notre Dame, 162
  6. Paul McDonald, QB, USC, 92
  7. George Rogers, TB, South Carolina, 81
  8. Mark Herrmann, QB, Purdue, 54
  9. Ron Simmons, MG, Florida State, 41
  10. Steadman Shealy, QB, Alabama, 32
  • Schlicter was a sophomore; Rogers and Herrmann were juniors

Source:[3][4]

Other major awards

References
  1. http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1979.htm
  2. "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  3. "White grabs Heisman". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 3, 1979. p. 25.
  4. "Heisman goes to White". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (New York Times). December 4, 1979. p. 21.
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