The 1978 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 1978, featuring the Arkansas Razorbacks against the heavily favored Oklahoma Sooners.

The #6 ranked Razorbacks were coming off a 10–1 season, but were considered to be heavy underdogs against the #2 ranked Sooners. The #1 ranked Texas Longhorns and their Heisman Trophy winning running back Earl Campbell had just lost the 1978 Cotton Bowl to Joe Montana and the Notre Dame Irish, thus giving the Sooners an almost sure bid for the national championship title if they defeated Arkansas. Texas defeated Oklahoma and Arkansas on consecutive weekends en route to its 11-0 regular season.

To make matters worse for Arkansas, first year Arkansas coach Lou Holtz had suspended three players prior to the game for team violations. Two of those players, rushing backs Ben Cowins and Donny Bobo, had together accounted for 78% of the points scored by the Razorbacks that season. On the other hand, the Oklahoma Sooners were led offensively by their future Heisman Trophy winning running back Billy Sims and on defense by their safety Darrol Ray and linebacker Daryl Hunt.

Although the suspended Arkansas players protested, Holtz refused to back down and the suspensions stood. Already considered a heavy underdog to Oklahoma, with the loss of those starters Arkansas was expected to give little competition in the game. Arkansas was an 18-point underdog prior to the suspensions. After the suspensions they were given as 24 point underdogs by Las Vegas, Nevada odds. The 1978 Orange Bowl would in all likelihood be the game that decided the National Championship. And it did in many ways, but not in the way that most expected.

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