1972 NCAA University Division football season
BOWL City State Date Winner Score Runner-up
Sun El Paso Texas December 30 No . 16 North Carolina 32-28 Texas Tech
Gator Jacksonville Florida December 30 No . 6 Auburn 24-3 No . 13 Colorado
Tangerine Orlando Florida December 29 Tampa 21-18 Kent State
Astro-Bluebonnet Houston Texas December 30 No . 11 Tennessee 24-17 No . 10 LSU
Liberty Memphis Tennessee December 18 Georgia Tech 31-30 Iowa State
Peach Atlanta Georgia December 29 NC State 49-13 No . 18 West Virginia
Fiesta Tempe Arizona December 23 No . 15 Arizona State 49-35 Missouri
Bowl games -- Other bowls
The 1972 NCAA University Division football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the 50 AP panelists. Eighth-ranked in the preseason, the Trojans were narrowly voted #1 in the first AP poll, and stayed out front for the rest of the year. Prior to the 1972 season, two programs were elevated to the University Division. The new programs were Long Beach State and Tampa. The change brought the total number of programs in the University Division to 121. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, which became Division I in 1973 (and Division I-A in 1978). The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an unofficial national champion based on the top ranked teams in the wire service (AP and UPI) polls. The writers' poll by Associated Press (AP) was the most popular, followed by the coaches' poll by United Press International) (UPI). Through the 1973 season, the UPI issued its final poll in early December before the bowls, but since 1968 (and 1965) the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed. The AP poll in 1972 consisted of the votes of fifty sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of twenty points for first place, nineteen for second, etc., the overall ranking was determined.