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1977 Notre Dame

11–⁠1, coached by Dan Devine, finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Notre Dame in 1977, game by game: won at No. 7 Pittsburgh 19–9; lost at Ole Miss 13–20; won at Purdue 31–24; won vs. Michigan State 16–6; won vs. Army 24–0; won vs. No. 5 USC 49–19; won vs. Navy 43–10; won vs. Georgia Tech 69–14; won at No. 15 Clemson 21–17; won vs. Air Force 49–0; won at Miami 48–10; won vs. No. 1 Texas 38–10+55−7Won 19–9 at No. 7 Pittsburgh+10No. 7 PittsburghLost 13–20 at Ole Miss-7Ole MissWon 31–24 at Purdue+7PurdueWon 16–6 vs. Michigan State+10Michigan StateWon 24–0 vs. Army+24ArmyWon 49–19 vs. No. 5 USC+30No. 5 USCWon 43–10 vs. Navy+33NavyWon 69–14 vs. Georgia Tech+55Georgia TechWon 21–17 at No. 15 Clemson+4No. 15 ClemsonWon 49–0 vs. Air Force+49Air ForceWon 48–10 at Miami+38MiamiWon 38–10 vs. No. 1 Texas+28No. 1 Texas
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 10at7PittsburghW 19–⁠933%
Sep 17atOle MissL 13–⁠2064%
Sep 24atPurdueW 31–⁠2461%
Oct 1vsMichigan StateW 16–⁠676%
Oct 15vsArmyW 24–⁠080%
Oct 22vs5USCW 49–⁠1950%
Oct 29vsNavyW 43–⁠1080%
Nov 5vsGeorgia TechW 69–⁠1477%
Nov 12at15ClemsonW 21–⁠1765%
Nov 19vsAir ForceW 49–⁠094%
Dec 3atMiamiW 48–⁠1083%
Jan 2Bowls & playoffvs1TexasCotton BowlW 38–⁠1048%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Texas 38–⁠10 in the Cotton Bowl; No. 1 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 11th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 131 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 3
  2. Wk 2: 3
  3. Wk 3: 11
  4. Wk 4: 14
  5. Wk 5: 11
  6. Wk 6: 11
  7. Wk 7: 11
  8. Wk 8: 5
  9. Wk 9: 5
  10. Wk 10: 5
  11. Wk 11: 6
  12. Wk 12: 5
  13. Wk 13: 5
  14. Final: 1

Players on this team

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 1977.

National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll, and a title the school claims

Heisman voteKen MacAfee, third; Ross Browner, fifth

Maxwell AwardRoss Browner, DE; also the Lombardi

Walter Camp AwardKen MacAfee, TE

3 consensus All-AmericansKen MacAfee, TE; Ross Browner, DE; Luther Bradley, DB

Record
11–⁠1
Conference
—
AP final
No. 1 peak No. 1
Points
420–⁠139
Coach
Dan Devine
Elo
1791 +168 this season
SP+ rating
36.5 No. 1 of 140; offense No. 1, defense No. 3
SRS
31.3 No. 1 of 145 major-college teams
Recruiting class
—
Offensive coordinator
Merv Johnson
Defensive coordinator
Joe Yonto
Captains
Terry Eurick, Willie Fry and Steve Orsini
Most valuable player
Joe Montana
Offense
Pro set
Defense
4–⁠3

Drafted in 1978

The 1978 draft
Rd 1Ken MacAfee TESan Francisco 49ers
Rd 1Ross Browner DECincinnati Bengals
Rd 1Luther Bradley DBDetroit Lions
Rd 2Willie Fry DEPittsburgh Steelers
Rd 3Ernie Hughes OGSan Francisco 49ers
Rd 5Ted Burgmeier DBMiami Dolphins