1978 Cotton Bowl Classic

1978 Cotton Bowl Classic
42nd Cotton Bowl Classic
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Texas Longhorns
(10–1) (11–0)
Independent SWC
38 10
Head coach: 
Dan Devine		 Head coach: 
Fred Akers
APCoaches
55
APCoaches
11
1234 Total
Notre Dame 32177 38
Texas 3700 10
DateJanuary 2, 1978
Season1977
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationDallas, Texas
MVPBob Golic       (N. Dame LB)
Vagas Ferguson (N. Dame RB)
FavoriteTexas by 7 points[1]
RefereeVance Carlson (Big Eight)
Attendance76,701
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersLindsey Nelson, Paul Hornung, Paul Alexander, and Don Criqui
Cotton Bowl Classic
 < 1977  1979 > 

The 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 42nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1977–78 bowl game season, it matched the top-ranked and undefeated Texas Longhorns of the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an independent. A record crowd of 76,701 turned up to see the coronation of the Longhorns championship season, but Notre Dame surprisingly won as they dominated the Longhorns 38–10.[2][3][4][5][6]

New Year's Day was on Sunday in 1978, and the major college bowl games were played the following day.

  1. ^ "Cotton Bowl should decide who's tops". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). UPI. December 31, 1977. p. 16.
  2. ^ Underwood, John (January 9, 1978). "Shake down the thunder". Sports Illustrated. p. 9.
  3. ^ "Texas fumbles title and Irish fall on it". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 3, 1978. p. 2C.
  4. ^ Mizell, Hubert (January 3, 1978). "Notre Dame corrals 'Horns, Campbell in 38-10 cruise". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). p. 1C.
  5. ^ Loomis, Tom (January 3, 1978). "Irish put in bid for No. 1, beat Texas in all phases". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 18.
  6. ^ Bock, Hal (January 3, 1978). "Devine feels Irish No. 1 after easy victory". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). p. 16.