| Game Name: | Rose Bowl |
| Title Sponsor Suffix: | presented by Northwestern Mutual |
| Subheader: | CFP Semifinal 101st Rose Bowl Game |
| Date Game Played: | January 1 |
| Year Game Played: | 2015 |
| Football Season: | 2014 |
| Stadium: | Rose Bowl |
| City: | Pasadena, California |
| Home Name Short: | Florida State |
| Home Nickname: | Seminoles |
| Home Record: | 13–0 |
| Home Conference: | ACC |
| Home Rank Ap: | 2 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 2 |
| Home Rank Cfp: | 3 |
| Home Coach: | Jimbo Fisher |
| Home 1Q: | 3 |
| Home 2Q: | 10 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Oregon |
| Visitor Nickname: | Ducks |
| Visitor Record: | 12–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Pac-12 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 3 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 3 |
| Visitor Rank Cfp: | 2 |
| Visitor Coach: | Mark Helfrich |
| Visitor 1Q: | 8 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 27 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
| Mvp: | Offense: Oregon QB Marcus Mariota[1] Defense: Oregon LB Tony Washington[2] |
| Odds: | Oregon by 8[3] |
| Halftime: | Bands from participants |
| Referee: | Matt Austin (SEC) |
| Attendance: | 91,322 |
| Payout: | 23.9 million per team[4] |
| Us Network: | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Us Announcers: | Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi (ESPN) Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Todd McShay (ESPN Radio) |
| Ratings: | 14.8 (28.2 million viewers) |
| Navigation 2: | 2 vs. 3 Seed CFP Semifinal Game |
| Different Next 2: | 2015 Cotton (Dec) |
The 2015 Rose Bowl (officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual[5]) was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2015, at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. This 101st Rose Bowl Game, as a semifinal for the College Football Playoff (CFP), matched the Oregon Ducks against the Florida State Seminoles as selected by the system's selection committee to compete for a spot at the National Championship game to be played on January 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[6] It was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season.
The game was televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and broadcast on ESPN Radio and XM Satellite Radio, with the kickoff time set for 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local time). The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association organized the game. The Northwestern Mutual financial services organization sponsored the game.
On the match day, the 126th edition of the annual Rose Parade took place at 8 am Pacific Time with a theme of Inspiring 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 inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, assuring that no team would finish the season with a perfect record.
After the teams' arrival in Southern California, the teams participated in the traditional Lawry's Beef Bowl in Beverly Hills and the Disney Media Day at Disney California Adventure in nearby Anaheim. The teams were also treated to The LA Improv in Hollywood. 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; and Ki-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 at Brookside 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, the Sugar Bowl in New 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 the Big Ten Conference and Pac-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 the 2006 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 the Atlantic Coast Conference made an appearance in the game. Duke did appear in 1942; 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 the original Big East Conference at the time.
See main article: 2014 Florida State Seminoles football team. Florida State wore its white jerseys and used the east bench on game day.
See main article: 2014 Oregon Ducks football team. Oregon wore its green jerseys and used the west bench on game day.
Source: [12]
| Statistics | 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).