1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Independence Bowl champion
Independence Bowl, W 16–14 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Independent
Record	9–3
Head coach	Bobby Collins (6th season)
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium

1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–				9	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
North Texas State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	9	–	1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Tulane		Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Bell)		W 17–14
September 20	Louisiana Tech		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (Rivalry in Dixie)		W 38–11	24,640
September 27	at East Carolina		Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	WITN	W 35–7	20,037
October 4	vs. Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS		W 28–22
October 11	at Mississippi State		Scott Field Starkville, MS		W 42–14
October 18	Arkansas State		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 35–0
October 25	No. 1 Alabama	No. 20	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		L 7–42	60,210
November 1	Lamar		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 36–10
November 8	Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL		L 0–31	56,800
November 15	Richmond		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 33–12
November 22	Louisville		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		L 3–6
December 13	McNeese State		Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)		W 16–14	42,600
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game