2014–15 NCAA football bowl games

The 2014–15 NCAA football bowl games were a series of college football bowl games. They completed the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and included 39 team-competitive games and four all-star games. The games began on December 20, 2014 and, aside from the all-star games, ended with the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship which was played on January 12, 2015.[1]

2014–15 NCAA football bowl games
Season2014
Regular seasonAugust 30, 2014 – December 13, 2014
Number of bowls39
All-star games3
Bowl gamesDecember 20, 2014 – January 12, 2015
National Championship2015 College Football Playoffs
National Championship
Location of ChampionshipAT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
ChampionsOhio State Buckeyes
Bowl Challenge Cup winnerConference USA
Bowl record by conference
Conference Bowls Record Final AP Poll
SEC 12 7–5 (0.583) 6
Big Ten 11 6–5 (0.545) 3
ACC 11 4–7 (0.364) 4
Pac-12 9 6–3 (0.667) 6
Mountain West 7 3–4 (0.429) 1
Big 12 7 2–5 (0.286) 3
Conference USA 5 4–1 (0.800) 1
American 5 2–3 (0.400) 1
MAC 5 2–3 (0.400) 0
Independents 3 2–1 (0.667) 0
Sun Belt 3 1–2 (0.333) 0

A new record total of 39 team-competitive bowl games were played, including the national championship game and the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl, Camellia Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl and Bahamas Bowl. While bowl games had been the purview of only the very best teams for nearly a century, this was the ninth consecutive year that teams with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games. To fill the 76 available team-competitive bowl slots, a total of 13 teams (17% of all participants) with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—12 with a .500 (6-6) season and, for the third time in four years, a team with a sub-.500 (6-7) season.

Schedule

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The schedule for the 2014–15 bowl games is below. All times are EST (UTC−5). The rankings used are the CFP rankings.[2]

Playoff

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The 2014–15 postseason was the first to feature a College Football Playoff (CFP) to determine a national champion of Division I FBS college football. Four teams were selected by a 13-member committee to participate in a single-elimination tournament, whose semifinals were held at the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl as part of a yearly rotation of six bowls. Their winners advanced to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[1]

Semifinals Championship
January 1 – Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
  1   Alabama 35  
  4   Ohio State 42   January 12 – National Championship
AT&T Stadium, Arlington
 
      4   Ohio State 42
January 1 – Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Pasadena
    2   Oregon 20
 
  2   Oregon 59
  3   Florida State 20  


CFP bowl games and Championship Game

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Starting with the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games will host two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis—the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. The games will be played on two days, on or around January 1. The winners of the two semifinal games will advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship.[3][4] These six bowl games are also known as the New Year's Six.[5] All games will be televised by ESPN and broadcast on the radio by ESPN Radio.

Date Game Site Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 31 Peach Bowl Georgia Dome
Atlanta, GA
12:30 pm
No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs (11–1)
No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (9–3)
Big 12
SEC
TCU 42
Ole Miss 3
Fiesta Bowl University of Phoenix Stadium
Glendale, AZ
4:00 pm
No. 20 Boise State Broncos (11–2)
No. 10 Arizona Wildcats (10–3)
Mountain West
Pac-12
Boise State 38
Arizona 30
Orange Bowl Sun Life Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
7:30 pm
No. 12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10–3)
No. 7 Mississippi State Bulldogs (10–2)
ACC
SEC
Georgia Tech 49
Mississippi State 34
Jan. 1 Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
1:00 pm
No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (10–2)
No. 5 Baylor Bears (11–1)
Big Ten
Big 12
Michigan State 42
Baylor 41
Rose Bowl
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA
5:00 pm
No. 2 Oregon Ducks (12–1)
No. 3 Florida State Seminoles (13–0)
Pac-12
ACC
Oregon 59
Florida State 20
Sugar Bowl
(Playoff Semifinal Game)
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:30 pm
No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (12–1)
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12–1)
Big Ten
SEC
Ohio State 42
Alabama 35
Jan. 12 College Football Playoff National Championship
(Rose Bowl Winner vs. Sugar Bowl Winner)
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
8:30 pm
No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (13–1)
No. 2 Oregon Ducks (13–1)
Big Ten
Pac-12
Ohio State 42
Oregon 20

Non-CFP bowl games

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For the 2014–15 postseason, four new bowl games were added — the Camellia Bowl, Miami Beach Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, and Bahamas Bowl — bringing the total number of bowl games to 39.[6] Additionally, the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was replaced by the Quick Lane Bowl.[7]

Date Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
11:00 am
ESPN Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (8–4)
Nevada Wolf Pack (7–5)
Sun Belt
Mountain West
Louisiana–Lafayette 16
Nevada 3
New Mexico Bowl University Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
2:20 pm
Utah State Aggies (9–4)
UTEP Miners (7–5)
Mountain West
C-USA
Utah State 21
UTEP 6
Las Vegas Bowl Sam Boyd Stadium
Whitney, NV
3:30 pm
ABC No. 22 Utah Utes (8–4)
Colorado State Rams (10–2)
Pac-12
Mountain West
Utah 45
Colorado State 10
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium
Boise, ID
5:45 pm
ESPN Air Force Falcons (9–3)
Western Michigan Broncos (8–4)
Mountain West
MAC
Air Force 38
Western Michigan 24
Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, AL
9:15 pm
Bowling Green Falcons (7–6)
South Alabama Jaguars (6–6)
MAC
Sun Belt
Bowling Green 33
South Alabama 28
Dec. 22 Miami Beach Bowl Marlins Park
Miami, Florida
2:00 pm
Memphis Tigers (9–3)
BYU Cougars (8–4)
American
Independent
Memphis 55
BYU 48 (2OT)
Dec. 23 Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, Florida
6:00 pm
Marshall Thundering Herd (12–1)
Northern Illinois Huskies (11–2)
C-USA
MAC
Marshall 52
Northern Illinois 23
Poinsettia Bowl Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, California
9:30 pm
Navy Midshipmen (7–5)
San Diego State Aztecs (7–5)
Independent
Mountain West
Navy 17
San Diego State 16
Dec. 24 Bahamas Bowl Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
12:00 pm
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7–5)
Central Michigan Chippewas (7–5)
C-USA
MAC
Western Kentucky 49
Central Michigan 48
Hawaii Bowl Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
8:00 pm
Rice Owls (7–5)
Fresno State Bulldogs (6–7)
C-USA
Mountain West
Rice 30
Fresno State 6
Dec. 26 Heart of Dallas Bowl Cotton Bowl
Dallas, TX
1:00 pm
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8–5)
Illinois Fighting Illini (6–6)
C-USA
Big Ten
Louisiana Tech 35
Illinois 18
Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field
Detroit, MI
4:30 pm
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7–5)
North Carolina Tar Heels (6–6)
Big Ten
ACC
Rutgers 40
North Carolina 21
St. Petersburg Bowl Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
8:00 pm
NC State Wolfpack (7–5)
UCF Knights (9–3)
ACC
American
NC State 34
UCF 27
Dec. 27 Military Bowl Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, MD
1:00 pm
Virginia Tech Hokies (6–6)
Cincinnati Bearcats (9–3)
ACC
American
Virginia Tech 33
Cincinnati 17
Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX
2:00 pm
CBS No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils (9–3)
Duke Blue Devils (9–3)
Pac-12
ACC
Arizona State 36
Duke 31
Independence Bowl Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
4:00 pm
ABC South Carolina Gamecocks (6–6)
Miami Hurricanes (6–6)
SEC
ACC
South Carolina 24
Miami 21
Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
4:30 pm
ESPN Penn State Nittany Lions (6–6)
Boston College Eagles (7–5)
Big Ten
ACC
Penn State 31
Boston College 30 (OT)
Holiday Bowl Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, California
8:00 pm
No. 24 USC Trojans (8–4)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (9–3)
Pac-12
Big Ten
USC 45
Nebraska 42
Dec. 29 Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
2:00 pm
Texas A&M Aggies (7–5)
West Virginia Mountaineers (7–5)
SEC
Big 12
Texas A&M 45
West Virginia 37
Russell Athletic Bowl Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium
Orlando, FL
5:30 pm
No. 17 Clemson Tigers (9–3)
Oklahoma Sooners (8–4)
ACC
Big 12
Clemson 40
Oklahoma 6
Texas Bowl NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
9:00 pm
Arkansas Razorbacks (6–6)
Texas Longhorns (6–6)
SEC
Big 12
Arkansas 31
Texas 7
Dec. 30 Music City Bowl LP Field
Nashville, TN
3:00 pm
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7–5)
No. 23 LSU Tigers (8–4)
Independent
SEC
Notre Dame 31
LSU 28
Belk Bowl Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
6:45 pm
No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs (9–3)
No. 21 Louisville Cardinals (9–3)
SEC
ACC
Georgia 37
Louisville 14
Foster Farms Bowl Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
10:00 pm
Stanford Cardinal (7–5)
Maryland Terrapins (7–5)
Pac-12
Big Ten
Stanford 45
Maryland 21
Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
12:00 pm
ESPN2 No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers (10–3)
No. 19 Auburn Tigers (8–4)
Big Ten
SEC
Wisconsin 34
Auburn 31 (OT)
Citrus Bowl Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium
Orlando, FL
1:00 pm
ABC No. 16 Missouri Tigers (10–3)
No. 25 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8–4)
SEC
Big Ten
Missouri 33
Minnesota 17
Jan. 2 Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
12:00 pm
ESPN Houston Cougars (7–5)
Pittsburgh Panthers (6–6)
American
ACC
Houston 35
Pittsburgh 34
TaxSlayer Bowl EverBank Field
Jacksonville, FL
3:20 pm
Tennessee Volunteers (6–6)
Iowa Hawkeyes (7–5)
SEC
Big Ten
Tennessee 45
Iowa 28
Alamo Bowl Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
6:45 pm
No. 14 UCLA Bruins (9–3)
No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats (9–3)
Pac-12
Big 12
UCLA 40
Kansas State 35
Cactus Bowl Sun Devil Stadium
Tempe, AZ
10:15 pm
Oklahoma State Cowboys (6–6)
Washington Huskies (8–5)
Big 12
Pac-12
Oklahoma State 30
Washington 22
Jan. 3 Birmingham Bowl Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
12:00 pm
Florida Gators (6–5)
East Carolina Pirates (8–4)
SEC
American
Florida 28
East Carolina 20
Jan. 4 GoDaddy Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
9:00 pm
Toledo Rockets (8–4)
Arkansas State Red Wolves (7–5)
MAC
Sun Belt
Toledo 63
Arkansas State 44

Post College Football Playoff all-star games

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Date Game Site Television Participants Results
Jan. 10 Medal of Honor Bowl Johnson Hagood Stadium
Charleston, SC
2:30 pm
NBCSN National Team vs.
American Team
National 26
American 14
Jan. 17 East–West Shrine Game Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, FL
4:00 pm
NFL Network East Team vs.
West Team
East 19
West 3
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl StubHub Center
Carson, CA
6:00 pm
ESPN2 National Team vs.
American Team
National 17
American 0
Jan. 24 Senior Bowl Ladd–Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
4:00 pm
NFL Network North Team vs.
South Team
North 34
South 13

Selection of the teams

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CFP top 25 teams

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On December 7, 2014, the 13-member College Football Playoff selection committee announced their final team rankings for the year.[8]

Rank Team W–L Conference and standing Bowl game
1
Alabama Crimson Tide
12–1
SEC champions Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
2
Oregon Ducks
12–1
Pac-12 champions Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
3
Florida State Seminoles
13–0
ACC champions Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal)
4
Ohio State Buckeyes
12–1
Big Ten champions Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal)
5
Baylor Bears
11–1
Big 12 co-champions Cotton Bowl Classic (NY6)
6
TCU Horned Frogs
11–1
Big 12 co-champions Peach Bowl (NY6)
7
Mississippi State Bulldogs
10–2
SEC Western Division second place Orange Bowl (NY6)
8
Michigan State Spartans
10–2
Big Ten East Division second place Cotton Bowl Classic (NY6)
9
Ole Miss Rebels
9–3
SEC Western Division third place Peach Bowl (NY6)
10
Arizona Wildcats
10–3
Pac-12 South Division champions Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
11
Kansas State Wildcats
9–3
Big 12 third place Alamo Bowl
12
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
10–3
ACC Coastal Division champions Orange Bowl (NY6)
13
Georgia Bulldogs
9–3
SEC Eastern Division second place Belk Bowl
14
UCLA Bruins
9–3
Pac-12 South Division second place (tie) Alamo Bowl
15
Arizona State Sun Devils
9–3
Pac-12 South Division second place (tie) Sun Bowl
16
Missouri Tigers
10–3
SEC Eastern Division champions Citrus Bowl
17
Clemson Tigers
9–3
ACC Atlantic Division second place Russell Athletic Bowl
18
Wisconsin Badgers
10–3
Big Ten West Division champions Outback Bowl
19
Auburn Tigers
8–4
SEC Western Division fourth place (tie) Outback Bowl
20
Boise State Broncos
11–2
Mountain West champions Fiesta Bowl (NY6)
21
Louisville Cardinals
9–3
ACC Atlantic Division third place Belk Bowl
22
Utah Utes
8–4
Pac-12 South Division fifth place Las Vegas Bowl
23
LSU Tigers
8–4
SEC Western Division fourth place (tie) Music City Bowl
24
USC Trojans
8–4
Pac-12 South Division second place (tie) Holiday Bowl
25
Minnesota Golden Gophers
8–4
Big Ten West Division second place (tie) Citrus Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

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Three bowls featured two conference champions playing against each other—the Boca Raton Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. Rankings are per the above CFP standings.

Conference Champion W–L Rank Bowl game
ACC Florida State Seminoles
13–0
3 Rose Bowl
American Cincinnati Bearcats 9–3 Military Bowl
Memphis Tigers 9–3 Miami Beach Bowl
UCF Knights 9–3 St. Petersburg Bowl
Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes
12–1
4 Sugar Bowl
Big 12 Baylor Bears
11–1
5 Cotton Bowl Classic
TCU Horned Frogs
11–1
6 Peach Bowl
C-USA Marshall Thundering Herd
12–1
Boca Raton Bowl
MAC Northern Illinois Huskies
11–2
Boca Raton Bowl
Mountain West Boise State Broncos
11–2
20 Fiesta Bowl
Pac-12 Oregon Ducks
12–1
2 Rose Bowl
SEC Alabama Crimson Tide
12–1
1 Sugar Bowl
Sun Belt Georgia Southern Eagles 9–3 none‡

† denotes a conference that named co-champions
‡ Georgia Southern was not bowl-eligible, due to their transition from FCS to FBS

Bowl-eligible teams

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Number of bowl berths available: 76
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81

Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth

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As there were more bowl-eligible teams than bowl berths, five bowl-eligible teams did not receive a bowl berth:

Bowl-ineligible teams

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Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 47

† – Appalachian State (7–5), Georgia Southern (9–3, Sun Belt champions), and Old Dominion (6–6) were conditionally eligible based on win–loss record. However, under FCS-to-FBS transition rules, they were not eligible because enough teams qualified under normal circumstances.

‡ – Idaho was ineligible for postseason play due to an insufficient Academic Progress Rate. However, the Vandals would not have been eligible without the ban, as they finished with a 1–10 record.

References

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  1. ^ a b "College Football Playoff 101", ESPN, May 19, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "2014–15 College Football Bowl Schedule – 2015 Playoff", FBSchedules.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013). "Questions and Answers for the College Football Playoff", USA Today. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  4. ^ "Future Sites and Schedules" Archived 2014-12-30 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Playoff. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  5. ^ Berkes, Peter (July 23, 2013). "College Football Playoff Bowls to Be Part of 'New Year's Six'", SB Nation. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  6. ^ Huston, Chris. (October 7, 2013). "Report: Four New Bowl Games on Tap for 2014", NBC Sports. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  7. ^ "Detroit's Quick Lane Bowl to Feature ACC vs. Big Ten", USA Today, August 26, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  8. ^ Conway, Taylor (December 7, 2014). "College Football Playoff 2014: Final Official Selection Committee Rankings", Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 14, 2014.

Further reading

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  • Schlabach, Mark (January 16, 2015). "Elliott headlines All-Bowl team". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2019.