1974 USC Trojans football team
| 1974 USC Trojans football | |
|---|---|
Coaches' Poll national champion FWAA national champion NFF national champion Pac-8 champion Rose Bowl champion | |
Rose Bowl, W 18–17 vs. Ohio State | |
| Conference | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 2 |
| Record | 10–1–1 (6–0–1 Pac-8) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 USC $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1974 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) as a member of the Pacific-8 Conference during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their 15th year under head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled a 10–1–1 record (6–0–1 in conference games), won the Pac 8 championship, and outscored their opponents by a total of 363 to 142. They lost the season opener on the road against No. 20 Arkansas and went undefeated the rest of the season, including a week 2 victory over No. 8 Pittsburgh and a comeback victory over No. 5 Notre Dame in which they scored 55 unanswered points after trailing 24–0. They concluded the season with an 18–17 victory over No. 3 Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl, converting a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter for the win.
USC was ranked No. 1 in the final United Press International (UPI) poll, receiving 27 of the 34 first-place votes from the coaches panel. The Trojans were ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll, trailing Oklahoma; Oklahoma was not included in the UPI poll as the school was on probation for recruiting violations.
Running back Anthony Davis tallied 1,354 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, finished second behind Archie Griffin in the Heisman Trophy voting, and won the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding college football player on the Pacific Coast. Davis and linebacker Richard Wood were consensus first-team picks on the 1974 All-America college football team. Tight end Jim Obradovich and guard Bill Bain also received first-team All-America honors from one or more selectors.