1976 Orange Bowl

1976 Orange Bowl
1976 Orange Bowl
42nd Orange Bowl
Michigan Wolverines	Oklahoma Sooners
(8–1–2)	(10–1)
Big Ten	Big 8
6	14
Head coach: ; Bo Schembechler	Head coach: ; Barry Switzer
AP	Coaches
5	4
AP	Coaches
3	2
Date	January 1, 1976
Season	1975
Stadium	Orange Bowl
Location	Miami, Florida
MVP	Steve Davis (Oklahoma QB); Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma DT)
Favorite	Oklahoma by 6 points
Referee	R. Pete Williams (SEC)
Attendance	80,307
United States TV coverage
Network	NBC
Announcers	Jim Simpson, John Brodie
Nielsen ratings	27.9
Orange Bowl
< 1975	1977 >

The 1976 Orange Bowl was the 42nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1975–76 bowl game season, it matched the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference and the #3 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference.^[1]^[2] In the first meeting between these two teams, favored Oklahoma won 14–6.^[3]^[4]

This was the sixth and final Orange Bowl played on artificial turf; Poly-Turf, similar to AstroTurf, was installed before the 1970 season and two versions lasted six seasons. It was removed in early 1976, following Super Bowl X, and replaced with natural grass.

This was the first time the Orange Bowl used officials from a neutral conference (in this instance, the Southeastern). In previous years, a split crew consisting of officials from each team's conference (the Big Ten when independent Notre Dame participated) were put together.

Teams

Michigan

The Wolverines (8–1–2) were the runner-up in the Big Ten Conference, after falling to rival Ohio State in Ann Arbor, 21–14. This was the first season that the Big Ten (and Pac-8) allowed multiple bowl teams.

Michigan was the first Big Ten team to play in the Orange Bowl. Michigan State played in the 1938 Orange Bowl, but was not a member of the Big Ten in football until 1953.

Oklahoma

The Sooners were co-champions in the Big Eight Conference with Nebraska. Oklahoma opened with eight wins before an unexpected 23–3 loss at home to Kansas,^[5]^[6] which snapped a 28-game winning streak (37-game unbeaten streak) and dropped them from second to sixth in the rankings. With wins over Missouri and Nebraska, they rose to third.

Game summary

1976 Orange Bowl

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No.5 Michigan	0	0	0	6	6
No. 3 Oklahoma	0	7	0	7	14

at Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida

Date: Thursday, January 1, 1976
Game time: 7:45 p.m EST
Game attendance: 80,307
Referee: R. Pete Williams (SEC)
TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson (play-by-play) and John Brodie (color)

Game information

First quarter: No scoring
Second quarter

OKL Billy Brooks 39-yard run (Tony DiRienzo kick) OKL 7–0

Third quarter: No scoring
Fourth quarter

OKL Steve Davis 10-yard run (Tony DiRienzo kick) OKL 14–0
MICH Gordon Bell 2-yard run (run failed) OKL 14–6

Statistics

Statistics	MICH	OKLA
First downs	12	16
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards	52–169	65–282
Passing yards	33	63
Passing: comp–att–int	2–20–3	3–5–0
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Oklahoma	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Aftermath

With top-ranked Ohio State's loss in the Rose Bowl, the Sooners were voted national champions.^[7] (Since the previous poll in early December, #2 Texas A&M lost twice and fell out of the top ten.)

References

^ ^a ^b Taylor, Jim (January 1, 1976). "Big Eight down to Big One as bowl parade hits peak". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 53.
^ "Run, run in Miami". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. January 1, 1976. p. 32.
^ "'We're No. 1' claims Sooner". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1976. p. 1D.
^ "No. 1, Sooner or...?". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 2, 1976. p. 25.
^ "Kansas rises up to dump Oklahoma". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 9, 1975. p. 77B.
^ "Kansas rocks Oklahoma". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. November 9, 1975. p. C5.
^ "No. 1: Sooners voted national champions". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 3, 1976. p. 1B.

External links

Summary at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History

This college football bowl article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[bgebgo-1] Taylor, Jim (January 1, 1976). "Big Eight down to Big One as bowl parade hits peak". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 53.

[rrimia-2] "Run, run in Miami". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). UPI. January 1, 1976. p. 32.

[ergwn1-3] "'We're No. 1' claims Sooner". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1976. p. 1D.

[ppupison-4] "No. 1, Sooner or...?". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. January 2, 1976. p. 25.

[krup-5] "Kansas rises up to dump Oklahoma". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 9, 1975. p. 77B.

[karook-6] "Kansas rocks Oklahoma". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. November 9, 1975. p. C5.

[svnch-7] "No. 1: Sooners voted national champions". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 3, 1976. p. 1B.

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v t e Orange Bowl
History & conference tie-ins	History Miami Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium College Football Playoff Broadcasters Atlantic Coast Conference Big Ten Conference Southeastern Conference Notre Dame
Games	1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 (January) 1996 (December) 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (January) 2014 (December) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 (January) 2021 (December) 2022 2023
Notes	The game was also the national title game (Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, or Bowl Championship Series) in 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, and 2005. There was an Orange Bowl in January and December in 1996, 2014, and 2021. The 2015, 2018, and 2021 (December) editions were College Football Playoff semifinals.