1976 USC Trojans football team

1976 USC Trojans football
National champion (multiple selectors)
Pac-8 champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 14–6 vs. Michigan
ConferencePacific-8 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record11–1 (7–0 Pac-8)
Head coach
CaptainRicky Bell
Vince Evans
Eric Williams
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons
← 1975
1977 →
1976 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 USC $ 7 0 0 11 1 0
No. 15 UCLA 6 1 0 9 2 1
Stanford 5 2 0 6 5 0
California 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington State 2 5 0 3 8 0
Oregon 1 6 0 4 7 0
Oregon State 1 6 0 2 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their first year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled an 11–1 record (7–0 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) championship, defeated Michigan in the 1977 Rose Bowl, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 386 to 139.[1] The team was ranked #2 in both the final AP Poll and the final UPI Coaches Poll.

Quarterback Vince Evans led the team in passing, completing 95 of 177 passes for 1,440 yards with ten touchdowns and six interceptions. Ricky Bell led the team in rushing with 280 carries for 1,433 yards and 14 touchdowns. Shelton Diggs led the team in receiving with 37 catches for 655 yards and eight touchdowns.[2]

The team was named national champion by Berryman, Billingsley MOV, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, and Matthews, all NCAA-designated major selectors.[3]: 114 

  1. ^ "Southern California Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "1976 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.