1978 Michigan
10–2 (7–1 Big Ten), coached by Bo Schembechler, finished No. 5 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Best winBeat No. 14 Notre Dame 28–14Sep 23
Over the best-ranked team it beat, on the road.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16 | vs Illinois | W 31–0 | 85% |
| Sep 23 | at 14Notre Dame | W 28–14 | 41% |
| Sep 30 | vs Duke | W 52–0 | 78% |
| Oct 7 | vs Arizona | W 21–17 | 81% |
| Oct 14 | vs Michigan State | L 15–24 | 81% |
| Oct 21 | at Wisconsin | W 42–0 | 65% |
| Oct 28 | vs Minnesota | W 42–10 | 83% |
| Nov 4 | at Iowa | W 34–0 | 84% |
| Nov 11 | at Northwestern | W 59–14 | 92% |
| Nov 18 | vs 15Purdue | W 24–6 | 75% |
| Nov 25 | at 16Ohio State | W 14–3 | 53% |
| Jan 1Bowls & playoff | vs 3USCRose Bowl | L 10–17 | 49% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to USC 17–10 in the Rose Bowl; No. 5 in the final AP poll; Big Ten champions.
In program history: The 20th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 140 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 6
- Wk 2: 4
- Wk 3: 5
- Wk 4: 4
- Wk 5: 3
- Wk 6: 5
- Wk 7: 9
- Wk 8: 8
- Wk 9: 8
- Wk 10: 7
- Wk 11: 7
- Wk 12: 6
- Wk 13: 5
- Wk 14: 5
- Final: 5
Players on this team
Rick LeachQuarterback
Russell DavisRunning back
Jerry MeterLinebacker- Mel OwensLinebacker
- Curtis GreerDefensive end
- Ralph ClaytonReceiver
- Doug MarshTight end
- Stanley EdwardsRunning back
- Mike JollyDefensive back
- Brian CarpenterDefensive back
- Mike HardenDefensive back
- Tom SeabronLinebacker
Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1978.
Big Ten champions7–1 in the conference, shared with Michigan State
Heisman voteRick Leach, third
- Record
- 10–2
- Conference
- 7–1 shared first in Big Ten
- AP final
- No. 5 peak No. 3
- Points
- 372–105
- Coach
- Bo Schembechler
- Elo
- 1745 +88 this season
- SP+ rating
- 23.0 No. 9 of 133; offense No. 14, defense No. 7
- SRS
- 24.0 No. 5 of 138 in Division I-A
- Recruiting class
- —
- Defensive coordinator
- Bill McCartney
- Captains
- Russell Davis and Jerry Meter
- Most valuable player
- Rick Leach
Drafted in 1979
The 1979 draft| Rd 1 | Jon Giesler OT | Miami Dolphins |
| Rd 4 | Russell Davis RB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rd 5 | Tom Seabron LB | San Francisco 49ers |
| Rd 5 | Harlan Huckleby RB | New Orleans Saints |
| Rd 5 | Jerry Meter LB | Minnesota Vikings |
| Rd 5 | Rick Leach QB | Denver Broncos |
| Rd 6 | Bill Dufek OG | New York Jets |
All-Big Ten
9 first team, 4 second teamFirst team
- Rick LeachQBAP-1; UPI-1
- Russell DavisRB
John ArbeznikOG- Jon GieslerOT
- Curtis GreerDLAP-1; UPI-1
- Jerry MeterDL
- Ron SimpkinsLBAP-1; UPI-2
- Mike JollyDBAP-1; UPI-1
- Mike HardenDBUPI-1
Second team
- Doug MarshTEAP-2
- Steve NautaCAP-2; UPI-2
- Greg BartnickOGAP-2; UPI-2
- Greg WillnerKUPI-2
From Wikipedia’s 1978 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
1978 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 7–1 | 10–2 | 5 |
| Michigan State | 7–1 | 8–3 | 12 |
| Purdue | 6–1–1 | 9–2–1 | 13 |
| Ohio State | 6–2 | 7–4–1 | |
| Minnesota | 4–4 | 5–6 | |
| Wisconsin | 3–4–2 | 5–4–2 | |
 Indiana | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
| Iowa | 2–6 | 2–9 | |
| Illinois | 0–6–2 | 1–8–2 | |
| Northwestern | 0–8–1 | 0–10–1 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.