Florida State finds itself on the wrong side of history

USC finds itself on the list for a second time. The 1976 team found itself in a very similar scenario to the 1960 teams we talked about. The Trojans had a new head coach who would ultimately become a legendary figure in Trojan football. After John McKay infamously left USC for a head coaching job with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, John Robinson was appointed to replace him.

To start his first season at the helm. USC was placed at the eighth spot in the preseason rankings. They began their season with a home game against Missouri. Unfortunately, USC got destroyed on its home field by a score of 46-25. Because of the debacle, USC immediately exited the poll after the loss. But, the rest of the season would be nothing but a positive.

USC instantly responded with a 53-0 win at Oregon which got them ranked again. They would win their next nine games, not having much trouble in most of those games. They knocked off No. 2 UCLA and No. 13 Notre Dame to end the regular season. They would be crowned the champions of the PAC-8 and earned a bid to the Rose Bowl.

Ranked third, they defeated No. 2 Michigan to win the Rose Bowl, 14-6. USC would end the season ranked No. 2 in the nation and had a record of 11-1. There's no doubt that if the Trojans had beaten Missouri in the first game of the year, they could've been crowned as the national champions. If you're interested the entire radio broadcast of the Missouri loss is on YouTube with game footage.