USC football: 5 best seasons in Trojans history, ranked

McKay’s best season sees USC football win it all in 1972.

In total, McKay won four national titles at USC. We touched on his first one back in 1962, as that was the first 11-0 season in USC history. Now, we’ll discuss his best season as the Trojans head coach. USC went 12-0 overall and 7-0 in Pac-8 play. It was USC’s first 12-win season in school history and the third perfect one as well.

Of the 12 teams USC beat in 1972, six of them were ranked. In the first half of the season, USC defeated the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock and the No. 15 Stanford Cardinals in Palo Alto. As the weather started to change, the schedule got even more daunting for the Trojans. They beat the No. 18 Washington Huskies and the No. 14 UCLA Bruins to finish up conference play.

At 10-0, USC knocked off the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, setting up a New Year’s date with the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. USC had been the No. 1 team in the country since upending the Hogs in Little Rock, but never looked back on their conquest to perfection. USC won every game by multiple scores, although Stanford victory in Palo Alto was only by nine points.

With a dominating 42-17 victory over the Buckeyes, McKay secured his 100th win as the head coach at USC, winning an undefeated national championship in the process. USC was led by its fullback Sam Cunningham that season. His record-setting performance in the Rose Bowl gave McKay his finest college team in a single campaign.