Most of the country including Republicans either hated Nixon or felt betrayed by him. Had he been impeached, there's little doubt there would have been enough votes - probably the last time there was anything resembling honesty in those chambers over abuse of office. Nowadays, it's strictly partisan, with Democrats never breaking rank.
So Ford's biggest problem was pardoning Nixon. The press made a case that he probably got the nod IN EXCHANGE for a pardon. STILL, it was a very close race. That's the first campaign I ever followed closely. Prior to that, I was still an adolescent and didn't go past TV commercials. I still remember one of Ford's remarks, regarding Carter - "My record is one of progress, not platitudes. My record is one of specifics, not smiles."
But you are correct - the enthusiasm gap between Ford and Carter is wide.