| 2015 Rose Bowl presented by Northwestern Mutual | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| College Football Playoff Semifinal 101st Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offense: OregonQBMarcus Mariota[1] Defense: OregonLBTony Washington[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Oregon by 7½ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Matt Austin (SEC)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Bands from participants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 91,322[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$23.9 million per team[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Fowler,Kirk Herbstreit,Heather Cox, andTom Rinaldi Sean McDonough,Chris Spielman, andTodd McShay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 14.8 (28.2 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2015 Rose Bowl (officially known as theCollege Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual[5]) was acollege footballbowl game played on January 1, 2015, at theRose Bowl stadium inPasadena, California. This 101stRose Bowl Game, as a semifinal for theCollege Football Playoff (CFP), matched theOregon Ducks against theFlorida State Seminoles as selected by the system'sselection committee to compete for a spot at theNational Championship game to be played on January 12, 2015, atAT&T Stadium inArlington, Texas.[6] It was one of the2014–15 bowl games that concluded the2014 FBS football season.
The game was televised onESPN andESPN Deportes, and broadcast onESPN Radio andXM Satellite Radio, with the kickoff time set for 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local time). ThePasadena Tournament of Roses Association organized the game. TheNorthwestern Mutual financial services organization sponsored the game.
On the match day, the 126th edition of the annualRose Parade took place at 8 am Pacific Time with a theme ofInspiring Stories.[7]
Oregon won the game, beating Florida State, the last undefeated team of the season, by the score of 59–20 and advanced to the inauguralCollege Football Playoff National Championship Game, assuring that no team would finish the season with a perfect record.
After the teams' arrival inSouthern California, the teams participated in the traditionalLawry's Beef Bowl inBeverly Hills and theDisney Media Day atDisney California Adventure in nearbyAnaheim. The teams were also treated toThe LA Improv inHollywood. The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame ceremony luncheon was held prior to the game at the Pasadena Convention Center.Knute Rockne, Notre Dame;Dick Vermeil, UCLA; andKi-Jana Carter, Penn State headlined the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2014.[8]
Pre-game activities were held at the Rose Bowl parking lots and atBrookside Golf Course.
The two participants were announced on December 7, 2014 (12:45 p.m. ET), based on the final rankings by the CFP committee. The matchups for the Rose Bowl and the other semifinal, theSugar Bowl inNew Orleans, were geographically selected to ensure the top team will be closest to its fanbase.[9][10] More than one team from the same conference may participate in the game, and avoiding rematches will not be a selection factor.[11]
Traditionally, the Rose Bowl pits the winners of theBig Ten Conference andPac-12 Conference; however, when the Rose Bowl is a CFP semifinal (every three years beginning with this game), any teams may be selected. Oregon was the Pac-12 champion, while the Big Ten champion Ohio State played in (and won) the Sugar Bowl. The 2015 edition of the Rose Bowl was the first time since the2006 edition (BCS National Championship Game) that the Big Ten Conference was absent from the game. It was also the first ever time in the 101-year history of the Rose Bowl that theAtlantic Coast Conference made an appearance in the game. Duke did appear in1942; however, the ACC was not established until 1953. Similarly, Miami competed in and won the 2002 Rose Bowl (which was also a BCS National Championship Game); however, Miami was still a member of theoriginal Big East Conference at the time.
Florida State wore its white jerseys and used the east bench on game day.
Oregon wore its green jerseys and used the west bench on game day.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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| No. 2 Oregon | 8 | 10 | 27 | 14 | 59 |
| No. 3 Florida State | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
atRose Bowl •Pasadena, California
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Source:[3]
| Statistics[3] | Oregon | Florida State |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 30 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 81–639 | 87–528 |
| Rushes–yards | 45–301 | 39–180 |
| Passing yards | 338 | 348 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–36–1 | 29–48–1 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 27:17 | 32:43 |
Oregon broke the record for the most points (59) scored in a Rose Bowl, surpassing the previous record of 49 (set in 1902, then tied in 1948 and 2008). Oregon's 41 points in the second half were also the most ever scored in one half of a Rose Bowl. Oregon set the Rose Bowl record for total offensive yards (639).
The selection committee's goal will be to protect the top two seeds from playing in road environments in semifinal games. For instance, if Southern Cal was the No. 1 seed and LSU was the No. 4 in 2014, that semifinal could be played in the Rose Bowl but not the Sugar Bowl.