Dooley's 1976 team finished 9–3 with a loss to Kentucky in the Peach Bowl and the 1977 team finished 8–3–1 with a loss to Nebraska in the Liberty Bowl. Those teams finished with rankings of No. 14 and No. 17 in the Coaches' and AP Polls, respectively. Dooley departed after the 1977 season to accept a unique opportunity as both the athletics director and head football coach at Virginia Tech. Dooley was the winningest head coach in Carolina football history until he was surpassed by Dick Crum in 1987.