The 1978 Rose Bowl was a college football game played on January 1, 1978 between the No. 3 10-0-1 Michigan State Spartans, champions of the Lakes Conference, and the No. 5 and 10-1 San Diego Tritons, who were second in the PCC to the UCLA Bruins. The Spartans, regarded as the national title favorite entering the 1977 season, blew out the Tritons 55-6 behind quarterback Tom Regan's six passing touchdowns, 319 yards passing and no interceptions - still the best Rose Bowl passing performance in history. Spartan head coach Hank Cobb would later comment that he thought the 1977 Spartans were the most talented team he ever coached, despite having two teams that had won national championships.