| 2021 Rose Bowl presented by Capital One | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| College Football Playoff Semifinal 107th Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | AT&T Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Arlington, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offense:DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama) Defense:Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Alabama by 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | John O'Neill (Big Ten)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 18,373 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN andESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN:Sean McDonough (play-by-play) Todd Blackledge (analyst) Todd McShay andAllison Williams (sidelines) ESPN Radio:Joe Tessitore,Andre Ware,Holly Rowe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | (18.89 million viewers)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes ESPN Brasil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2021 Rose Bowl (branded as theCollege Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented byCapital One for sponsorship reasons) was acollege footballbowl game played on January 1, 2021, with kickoff at 3:00 p.m.CST atAT&T Stadium inArlington, Texas. The 107th playing of theRose Bowl Game, it was one of twoCollege Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal games; it pitted two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee—Notre Dame from theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC), andAlabama from theSoutheastern Conference (SEC), with its winner facing the winner of theSugar Bowl,Ohio State, at the2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. It was also one of the2020–21 bowl games concluding the2020 FBS football season.
It was the first playing of the Rose Bowl outside ofPasadena, California, since the1942 game played atDuke University, in a move prompted by theCOVID-19 pandemic in California.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at theRose Bowl stadium inPasadena, California. In early December 2020, it was announced that the bowl would be contestedbehind closed doors without fans, due toCalifornia GovernorGavin Newsom's orders in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in California.[3] Organizers attempted to negotiate an exemption to the health orders—which prohibit any spectators at a sporting event—in order to allow the family members of participating players to attend.[4] However, they were denied.[4]
On December 15, theLos Angeles Times reported that "serious considerations" were being made to re-locate the game due to the state of the pandemic in California, with major surges in new cases,[5] and ICU capacity in Southern California declared to be 0% as of December 17.[6] On December 19, 2020, thePasadena Tournament of Roses Association announced that the game would be relocated toAT&T Stadium inArlington, Texas.[4] The only prior time the Rose Bowl was played outside of Pasadena was in1942 duringWorld War II; after large gatherings were prohibited on the west coast due to fears of a Japanese attack following theattack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the game was re-located toDuke Stadium inDurham, North Carolina.[5]
The Association stated that it was not immediately clear if the game would still be called the "Rose Bowl", as consent would also have to be obtained from the city of Pasadena, due to a master license agreement covering use of the name (which is co-owned by the Tournament of Roses Association and Pasadena's municipal government).[7][8] A later press release from the Association referred to the game as theCollege Football Playoff Semifinal presented by Capital One, pending a decision on usage of the Rose Bowl name.[9]
A formal decision was scheduled to be discussed by city officials in Pasadena on December 22.[10] On December 30, the City of Pasadena approved use of the Rose Bowl name for the game in Arlington,[11] reportedly after receiving $2 million from the Tournament of Roses “to assist the city with its expenses and lost revenue”.[12]
The game was allowed to have 16,000 fans in attendance.[13] The University of Alabama fan ticket allotment was 3,380.[14] In comparison, the2021 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans only would be allowed 3,000 fans in the Superdome in total.[15]
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The four teams competing in the Playoff were chosen by the CFP selection committee, whose final rankings were released on December 4, 2022. The committee selected No. 1Alabama from theSoutheastern Conference (SEC), No. 2Clemson from theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC), No. 3Ohio State from theBig Ten Conference, and No. 4Notre Dame, anFBS independent playing as an ACC member for the 2020 season.[16] Alabama entered the playoff with an undefeated11–0 record, Clemson and Notre Dame both entered 10–1, and Ohio State entered 6–0.[17]
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| January 1 –Rose BowlAT&T Stadium,Arlington[a] | ||||||||
| 1 | Alabama | 31 | ||||||
| 4 | Notre Dame | 14 | January 11 –National ChampionshipHard Rock Stadium,Miami Gardens | |||||
| 1 | Alabama | 52 | ||||||
| January 1 –Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome,New Orleans | 3 | Ohio State | 24 | |||||
| 2 | Clemson | 28 | ||||||
| 3 | Ohio State | 49 | ||||||
Teams for the game were selected by the College Football Playoff selection committee and announced on December 20, 2020.[18] The game matched top-rankedAlabama and fourth-rankedNotre Dame. In seven prior meetings, Notre Dame held a 5–2 edge; the programs had most recently played in the2013 BCS National Championship Game, which Alabama won by a score of 42–14.[19]
Alabama entered the bowl with an 11–0 record, having won all 10 of theirSoutheastern Conference (SEC) regular season games, followed by a win overFlorida in theSEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide had last appeared in a CFP semifinal game following the 2018 season, when they defeatedOklahoma in theOrange Bowl. Alabama had previously appeared in six Rose Bowl games, most recently in 1946, with a record of 4–1–1.
Notre Dame entered the bowl with a 10–1 record. The Fighting Irish, who traditionally compete in football as anindependent, played the 2020 season as a member of theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Notre Dame defeated nine ACC teams and one non-conference program (South Florida) during the regular season, then lost toClemson in theACC Championship Game. The Fighting Irish had last appeared in a CFP semifinal game following the 2018 season, when they lost toClemson in theCotton Bowl. The only prior appearance by Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl had been a victory overStanford in the1925 edition.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 1 Alabama | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
atAT&T Stadium •Arlington, Texas
| Game information |
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| Statistics | ND | BAMA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 24 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 80–375 | 55–437 |
| Rushes–yards | 38–139 | 25–140 |
| Passing yards | 236 | 297 |
| Passing:comp–att–int | 28–42–1 | 25–30–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:43 | 26:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | Passing | Ian Book | 27/39, 229 yards, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Kyren Williams | 16 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Michael Mayer | 7 receptions, 62 yards | |
| Alabama | Passing | Mac Jones | 25/30, 297 yards, 4 TD |
| Rushing | Najee Harris | 15 carries, 125 yards | |
| Receiving | DeVonta Smith | 7 receptions, 130 yards, 3 TD |
With the big game moving to Texas, city officials will meet Tuesday to decide whether to allow organizers there to use the Rose Bowl name.
Unprecedented is truly an understatement. That is why the City of Pasadena has agreed to allow the Tournament of Roses to relocate the official Rose Bowl Game in 2021. The Rose Bowl Game will not relocate again from Pasadena, unless it is forced to due to a national emergency.