| 1978 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| Sport: | American football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Tom Cousineau |
| Season Champs: | Michigan, Michigan State |
| Season Champ Name: | Co-champions |
| Second Place: | Purdue |
| Mvp: | Rick Leach |
| Prevseason Year: | 1977 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1979 |
The 1978 Big Ten Conference football season was the 83rd season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1978 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled a 10–2 record, tied with Michigan State for the Big Ten championship, led the conference in scoring defense (8.8 points allowed per game), lost to national champion USC in the Rose Bowl, and was ranked No. 5 in the final AP and UPI polls. Quarterback Rick Leach won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten, finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, and was selected as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.
The 1978 Michigan State Spartans football team, under head coach Darryl Rogers, compiled an 8–3, tied with Michigan for the conference championship, led the conference in scoring offense (37.4 points per game), and was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll. Ed Smith led the conference with 2,226 passing yards and Kirk Gibson led the conference with 806 receiving yards. Gibson was selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Newspaper Enterprise Association, and The Sporting News. Tight end Mark Brammer was selected as a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.
The 1978 Purdue Boilermakers football team, under head coach Jim Young, compiled a 9–2–1 record, finished in third place in the Big Ten, defeated Georgia Tech in the 1978 Peach Bowl, and was ranked No. 13 in the final AP and UPI polls. Jim Young was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Quarterback Mark Herrmann passed for 1,904 yards, and defensive lineman Keena Turner was selected as the team's most valuable player.
Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau's was selected as a consensus first-team All-American and was the first player selected in the 1979 NFL draft. Minnesota running back Marion Barber, Jr. led the conference with 1,210 rushing yards, and Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter led the conference in scoring with 78 points on 13 rushing touchdowns. Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was fired after punching a Clemson player in the closing minutes of the 1978 Gator Bowl.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler |
|
| 10–2 | 7–1 | 31.0 | 8.8 | Rick Leach | |
| 1 (tie) | Michigan State | Darryl Rogers |
|
| 8–3 | 7–1 | 37.4 | 15.5 | Ed Smith | |
| 3 | Purdue | Jim Young |
|
| 9–2–1 | 6–1–1 | 21.8 | 10.8 | Keena Turner | |
| 4 | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | NR |
| 7–4–1 | 6–2 | 28.3 | 18.0 | Tom Cousineau | |
| 5 | Minnesota | Cal Stoll | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–4 | 19.1 | 24.3 | Marion Barber, Jr. | |
| 6 | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 5–4–2 | 3–4–2 | 20.3 | 25.2 | Mike Kalasmiki | |
| 7 | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 4–7 | 3–5 | 20.7 | 26.4 | Joe Norman | |
| 8 | Iowa | Bob Commings | NR | NR | 2–9 | 2–6 | 11.4 | 26.5 | Brad Reid | |
| 9 | Illinois | Gary Moeller | NR | NR | 1–8–2 | 0–6–2 | 9.4 | 28.8 | John Sullivan | |
| 10 | Northwestern | Rick Venturi | NR | NR | 0–10–1 | 0–8–1 | 8.4 | 40.0 | Pat Geegan |
On September 16, 1978, the Big Ten football teams opened the season with three conference games and four non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in two wins and two losses.
On September 23, 1978, the Big Ten teams played two conference games and six non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in four wins and two losses, giving the Big Ten a 6–4 non-conference record to that point in the season.
On September 29 and 30, 1978, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in four wins and six losses, giving the Big Ten a 10–10 non-conference record to that point in the season.
On October 7, 1978, the Big Ten teams played one conference game and eight non-conference games. The non-conference games resulted in three wins and five losses, giving the Big Ten a 13–15 non-conference record during the regular season.
On October 14, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 21, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 28, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 4, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 11, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 18, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 25, 1978, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
See main article: 1979 Rose Bowl. On January 1, 1979, Michigan (ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll) lost to USC (ranked No. 3), 17–10, before a crowd of 105,629 in the 1979 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The game was marked by the so-called "Phantom Touchdown" scored by USC's Charles White in the second quarter. Replays showed that White fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line. One official marked the ball down at the one-yard line, but another ruled that White had scored. The officials ultimately ruled that White had scored, giving USC its margin of victory.[3] [4] In the final UPI coaches poll, USC jumped to No. 1 after beating Michigan.
See main article: 1978 Gator Bowl. On December 29, 1978, Ohio State (ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll) lost to Clemson (ranked No. 7), 17–15, before a crowd of 72,011 in the 1978 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. This game was Woody Hayes' last as Ohio State's head coach. With just over two minutes left in the game, Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter threw a pass that was intercepted by Clemson's Charlie Bauman. Bauman ran towards the OSU sideline avoiding tackles and was finally shoved out of bounds, where he was punched through his face mask by coach Hayes. The next day, Ohio State fired Hayes after 28 seasons as the school's head football coach.[5]
See main article: 1978 Peach Bowl. On December 25, 1978, Purdue (ranked No. 17 in the UPI Poll) defeated Georgia Tech (ranked No. 19 in the UPI Poll), 41–21, before a crowd of 20,277 in the 1978 Peach Bowl held at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann completed 12 of 24 passes for 166 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.[6]
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (2,226)
2. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (1,904)
3. Kevin Strasser, Northwestern (1,526)
4. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (1,378)
5. Rick Leach, Michigan (1,283)[1]
1. Marion Barber, Jr., Minnesota (1,210)
2. John Macon, Purdue (913)
3. Mike Harkrader, Indiana (880)
4. Steve Smith, Michigan State (772)
5. Harlan Huckleby, Michigan (741)[1]
1. Kirk Gibson, Michigan State (806)
2. Eugene Byrd, Michigan State (718)
3. David Charles, Wisconsin (573)
4. Ralph Clayton, Michigan (546)
5. Doug Donley, Ohio State (510)[1]
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (2,247)
2. Rick Leach, Michigan (1,894)
3. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (1,840)
4. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (1,824)
5. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (1,547)[1]
1. Ed Smith, Michigan State (139.0)
2. Mark Herrmann, Purdue (121.9)
3. Mike Kalasmiki, Wisconsin (101.5)
4. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (93.3)
5. Kevin Strasser, Northwestern (88.9)[1]
1. Steve Smith, Michigan State (6.7)
2. Leroy McGee, Michigan State (6.0)
3. Tom Stauss, Wisconsin (5.9)
4. Ricardo Volley, Ohio State (5.5)
5. Wayne Strader, Illinois (5.3)[1]
1. Ralph Clayton, Michigan (21.8)
2. Doug Donley, Ohio State (21.2)
3. Kirk Gibson, Michigan State (19.2)
4. Elmer Bailey, Minnesota (17.2)
5. Eugene Byrd, Michigan State (16.7)[1]
1. Art Schlichter, Ohio State (78)
2. Morten Andersen, Michigan State (73)
2. Scott Sovereen, Purdue (73)
4. Rick Leach, Michigan (72)
5. Gregg Willner, Michigan (68)[1]
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1978 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[7] [8]
Offense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Rick Leach | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Running back | Marion Barber, Jr. | Minnesota | AP, UPI [tailback] | |
| Running back | Russell Davis | Michigan | AP, UPI [fullback] | |
| Receiver | Kirk Gibson | Michigan State | AP [flanker], UPI [wingback] | |
| Receiver | Eugene Byrd | Michigan State | AP [wide receiver], UPI [split end] | |
| Tight end | Mark Brammer | Michigan State | AP, UPI | |
| Center | Mark Heidel | Indiana | AP, UPI | |
| Guard | Ken Fritz | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Guard | John Arbeznik | Michigan | UPI | |
| Tackle | Jon Giesler | Michigan | AP [guard], UPI | |
| Tackle | Jim Hinsley | Michigan State | AP, UPI | |
| Tackle | Joe Robinson | Ohio State | AP |
Defense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive line | Curtis Greer | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Melvin Land | Michigan State | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Ken Loushin | Purdue | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Keena Turner | Purdue | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive line | Kelton Dansler | Ohio State | AP | |
| Defensive line | Stan Sytsma | Minnesota | UPI | |
| Linebacker | Tom Cousineau | Ohio State | AP, UPI | |
| Linebacker | Joe Norman | Indiana | AP, UPI | |
| Linebacker | Ron Simpkins | Michigan | AP | |
| Defensive back | Mike Jolly | Michigan | AP, UPI | |
| Defensive back | Tom Graves | Michigan State | AP | |
| Defensive back | Vince Skillings | Ohio State | AP | |
| Defensive back | Keith Brown | Minnesota | UPI | |
| Defensive back | Mike Guess | Ohio State | UPI | |
| Defensive back | Mike Harden | Michigan | UPI |
At the end of the 1978 season, only one Big Ten player was a consensus first-team pick for the 1978 College Football All-America Team.[9] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiver | Kirk Gibson | Michigan State | UPI, NEA, TSN | |
| Defensive back | Lawrence Johnson | Wisconsin | NEA, TSN | |
| Tight end | Mark Brammer | Michigan State | FWAA | |
| Quarterback | Rick Leach | Michigan | AFCA [tie] |
The 1979 NFL draft was held in New York on May 3–4, 1979.[11] The following players were among the first 100 picks:[12]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Cousineau | Linebacker | Ohio State | 1 | 1 | |
| Jon Giesler | Offensive tackle | Michigan | 1 | 24 | |
| Defensive back | Wisconsin | 2 | 40 | ||
| Joe Norman | Linebacker | Indiana | 2 | 45 | |
| Mel Land | Linebacker | Michigan State | 3 | 63 | |
| Russell Davis | Running back | Michigan | 4 | 86 | |
| Derwin Tucker | Defensive Back | Illinois | 4 | 99 |