CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

1976 Pittsburgh

12–⁠0, coached by Johnny Majors, finished No. 1 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Pittsburgh in 1976, game by game: won at No. 11 Notre Dame 31–10; won at Georgia Tech 42–14; won vs. Temple 21–7; won at Duke 44–31; won vs. Louisville 27–6; won vs. Miami 36–19; won at Navy 45–0; won vs. Syracuse 23–13; won vs. Army 37–7; won vs. West Virginia 24–16; won vs. No. 16 Penn State 24–7; won vs. No. 5 Georgia 27–3+45Won 31–10 at No. 11 Notre Dame+21No. 11 Notre DameWon 42–14 at Georgia Tech+28Georgia TechWon 21–7 vs. Temple+14TempleWon 44–31 at Duke+13DukeWon 27–6 vs. Louisville+21LouisvilleWon 36–19 vs. Miami+17MiamiWon 45–0 at Navy+45NavyWon 23–13 vs. Syracuse+10SyracuseWon 37–7 vs. Army+30ArmyWon 24–16 vs. West Virginia+8West VirginiaWon 24–7 vs. No. 16 Penn State+17No. 16 Penn StateWon 27–3 vs. No. 5 Georgia+24No. 5 Georgia
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 11at11Notre DameW 31–⁠1040%
Sep 18atGeorgia TechW 42–⁠1461%
Sep 25vsTempleW 21–⁠776%
Oct 2atDukeW 44–⁠3166%
Oct 9vsLouisvilleW 27–⁠690%
Oct 16vsMiamiW 36–⁠1987%
Oct 23atNavyW 45–⁠078%
Oct 30vsSyracuseW 23–⁠1388%
Nov 6vsArmyW 37–⁠793%
Nov 13vsWest VirginiaW 24–⁠1682%
Nov 26vs16Penn StateW 24–⁠766%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs5GeorgiaSugar BowlW 27–⁠350%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Georgia 27–⁠3 in the Sugar Bowl; No. 1 in the final AP poll.

In program history: The 2nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 128 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 9
  2. Wk 2: 3
  3. Wk 3: 3
  4. Wk 4: 2
  5. Wk 5: 2
  6. Wk 6: 2
  7. Wk 7: 2
  8. Wk 8: 2
  9. Wk 9: 2
  10. Wk 10: 1
  11. Wk 11: 1
  12. Wk 12: 1
  13. Wk 13: 1
  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 1976.

National championsNo. 1 in the final AP poll

Led the nationTony Dorsett: rushing yards (2,150 yds), points (134 pts), points per game (12.2)

Heisman TrophyTony Dorsett, RB; also the Maxwell and Walter Camp

2 consensus All-AmericansTony Dorsett, RB; Al Romano, MG

Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearJohnny Majors, coach

Record
12–⁠0
Conference
—
AP final
No. 1 peak No. 1
Points
381–⁠133
Coach
Johnny Majors
Elo
1787 +187 this season
SP+ rating
27.7 No. 2 of 132; offense No. 4, defense No. 11
SRS
24.2 No. 2 of 137 major-college teams
Recruiting class
—
Offensive coordinator
Joe Avezzano
Defensive coordinator
Bobby Roper
Offense
Veer
Defense
Basic 50

Drafted in 1977

The 1977 draft
Rd 1Tony Dorsett RBDallas Cowboys
Rd 7Larry Swider PDenver Broncos
Rd 7Jim Corbett TECincinnati Bengals