USC 14 Michigan 6
The John Robinson era of USC success in the Rose Bowl begins as the Pac-8, later to grow into the Pac-10, continues into a period of its greatest dominance since the pact with the Big Ten began in 1947. The West moves toward winning six straight and 12 of 13 Rose Bowl games from 1975 to 1987 as Robinson's 11-1 Trojans disappoint Bo Schembechler's 10-1 Michigan Wolverines 14-6. Charles White replaces the injured Ricky Bell and gains 114 yards in 32 tries to join quarterback Vince Evans (14 completions in 20 attempts) and Shelton Diggs (eight catches) as Trojan offensive stars. Evans and White score for USC and Rob Lytle for Michigan.