2014–15 College Football Playoff

Postseason college football tournament November 2024 2014–15 2014 January 1–12, 2015 AT&T Stadium Mercedes-Benz Superdome Rose Bowl Alabama Oregon Florida State Ohio State Ohio State 1st 8th 2015–16 thumb|AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hosted the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship. The 2014–15 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the inaugural edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. Each participating team was the champion of its respective conference: No. 1 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, No. 2 Oregon from the Pac-12 Conference, No. 3 Florida State from the Atlantic Coast Conference, and No. 4 Ohio State from the Big Ten Conference. The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, part of the season's slate of bowl games. In the Rose Bowl semifinal, Oregon defeated Florida State by a margin of thirty-nine points. The second semifinal, at the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State upset Alabama by seven. As a result of their victories, Ohio State and Oregon faced each other in the national championship game, held on January 12 in Arlington, Texas. In that game, Ohio State defeated Oregon, 42–20, to win the first CFP national championship and their eighth national championship in school history. The victory was Ohio State's first championship since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and the third for head coach Urban Meyer. Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott won Most Valuable Player honors after scoring four touchdowns in the national championship game, which broke viewership records and became the most-watched cable television broadcast in history with an average viewership of over 33 million. The playoff semifinals finished the sweep as the Sugar Bowl (28.27 million) and Rose Bowl (28.16 million) slotted in as the second- and third-most-viewed cable broadcasts. Bracket Selection and teams The inaugural CFP selection committee was announced on October 16, 2013, with Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long as the chairman. Its other members were former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne, former quarterback Archie Manning, former United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, former United States Air Force Academy superintendent Michael C. Gould, USC athletic director Pat Haden, former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt, West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg, and former college head coach Tyrone Willingham.Hawkins Stephen 2014 College Football Playoff selection panel unveiled https://abc3340.com/archive/2014-college-football-playoff WBMA-LD July 21, 2024 October 16, 2013 The first CFP rankings were released on October 28, 2014. Four of the top six teams—Mississippi State, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Alabama—were from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and they were joined by Florida State from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Oregon from the Pac-12 Conference.Murschel Matt Initial rankings for College Football Playoff announced Tuesday, Mississippi State on top https://www.jacksonville.com/story/sports/college/2014/10/28/initial-college-football-playoff-rankings-announced-tuesday/15785747007/ The Florida Times-Union Orlando Sentinel October 11, 2024 October 28, 2014 Later that week, No. 3 Auburn defeated No. 4 Ole Miss, 35–31, in what the Associated Press called "the first College Football Playoff knockout game".Auburn prevails after Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell's injury, fumble late https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548349 ESPN Associated Press October 11, 2024 November 2, 2014 August 24, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230824023137/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548349 live As a result, Ole Miss dropped to No. 11 in the rankings and TCU rose to No. 6, making them the first Big 12 team to be ranked in the CFP top six.Layberger Tom College Football Playoff 2014: TCU poised for a big move? Analyzing the committee's latest rankings https://www.oregonlive.com/collegefootball/2014/11/cfp_rankings_oct_28.html The Oregonian October 11, 2024 November 4, 2014 Arizona State made their debut in the top six in the third rankings release after Auburn's loss to unranked Texas A&M dropped them to No. 9.Texas A&M capitalizes on late fumbles, upsets No. 3 Auburn https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548346 ESPN Associated Press October 11, 2024 November 9, 2014Austin Walt College Football Playoff rankings – 3rd edition, 11 November 2014 https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2014/11/11/7200117/college-football-playoff-rankings-3rd-edition-11-november-2014 SB Nation October 11, 2024 November 11, 2014 August 13, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240813173410/https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2014/11/11/7200117/college-football-playoff-rankings-3rd-edition-11-november-2014 live The Sun Devils suffered a loss to Oregon State the following week, dropping them back out of the top six,QB Sean Mannion spurs Oregon State upset of No. 6 Arizona State https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548308 ESPN Associated Press October 11, 2024 November 16, 2014 October 12, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231012014224/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548308 live and a win by No. 5 Alabama over No. 1 Mississippi State vaulted the Crimson Tide to the top spot while dropping Mississippi State to fourth place.Rohan Tim November 16, 2014 No. 4 Alabama stifles Dak Prescott and No. 1 Mississippi State https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/alabama-football-mississippi-state.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20220616163917/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/alabama-football-mississippi-state.html June 16, 2022 October 11, 2024 The New York Times The top six remained the same in the following week's rankings,Rickman Martin Alabama still No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings; top four unchanged https://www.si.com/college/2014/11/26/college-football-playoff-rankings-alabama-oregon-florida-state-mississippi-state Sports Illustrated November 3, 2024 November 25, 2014 September 28, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220928151026/https://www.si.com/college/2014/11/26/college-football-playoff-rankings-alabama-oregon-florida-state-mississippi-state live and Mississippi State dropped out of the top six in the penultimate rankings following their loss to No. 19 Ole Miss.No. 19 Ole Miss topples No. 4 Mississippi State in Egg Bowl https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400548324 ESPN November 3, 2024 November 30, 2014 Baylor moved up to No. 6 to replace them.Russo Ralph D. TCU jumps FSU into third in College Football Playoff rankings https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2014/12/02/tcu-jumps-fsu-into-third-in-college-football-playoff-rankings/30693556007/ The Daytona Beach News-Journal November 3, 2024 December 2, 2014 The next week saw many conferences play their championship games. No. 2 Oregon began the week by defeating No. 7 Arizona, 51–14, to win the Pac-12 Championship on December 5.Marcus Mariota's 5 total TDs help No. 2 Oregon rout Arizona for Pac-12 https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400609076 ESPN November 3, 2024 December 6, 2014 October 2, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221002130526/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400609076 live The following day, No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 16 Missouri to win the SEC ChampionshipRogers Ken Alabama rolls past Missouri, wins SEC Championship https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-opelika-auburn-news/158365663/ November 3, 2024 The Opelika-Auburn News December 7, 2014 Opelika, Alabama 13 Newspapers.com and No. 4 Florida State beat No. 11 Georgia Tech for the ACC title.FSU holds off Georgia Tech to win ACC; eyes CFP spot next. https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400608167 ESPN November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 March 29, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230329033856/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400608167 live All three winners were expected to be selected for the playoffs. The fourth spot was more contentious; No. 3 TCU and No. 6 Baylor concluded their respective regular seasons with wins over Iowa State and No. 9 Kansas State, respectively, giving them both an 11–1 record and a share of the Big 12 championship,Staples Andy Big 12 crowns two champions but can't pick one top playoff contender https://www.si.com/college/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-big-12-tcu-baylor Sports Illustrated November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 October 10, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231010055624/https://www.si.com/college/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-big-12-tcu-baylor live while No. 5 Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship over No. 13 Wisconsin in a 59–0 shutout, giving the Buckeyes a 12–1 record.Thomas George M. Big Ten Championship: Buckeyes blow it up https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal/158366073/ November 3, 2024 The Akron Beacon Journal December 7, 2014 Akron, Ohio C001 Newspapers.com The inaugural semifinal pairings were announced alongside the rest of the top 25 during the release of the final CFP rankings on December 7, 2014. Ohio State was awarded the final spot in the bracket over Baylor and TCU, and joined Alabama, Oregon, and Florida State to make up the four-team field. Alabama was awarded the No. 1 spot and were placed in the Sugar Bowl to face No. 4 Ohio State, while No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State were assigned to the Rose Bowl.Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State selected for College Football Playoff https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/sports/ncaafootball/college-football-playoff-committee-picks-alabama-oregon-florida-state-and-ohio-state.html The New York Times November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 Baylor and TCU finished No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. Each were assigned to one of the remaining New Year's Six bowl games: Baylor was scheduled to face No. 8 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl Classic and TCU drew No. 9 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl'New Year's Six' bowl pairings set https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/years-bowl-pairings-set/story?id=27428722 ABC News November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014—the latter was described as a "consolation prize" by the Associated Press.TCU's consolation prize: Ole Miss in Peach Bowl https://www.whas11.com/article/sports/tcus-consolation-prize-ole-miss-in-peach-bowl/417-266085139 WHAS-TV November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 These final rankings generated some controversy, even before their release; on the morning of December 7, Forbes' Mike Ozanian criticized the College Football Playoff system and the makeup of the selection committee.Ozanian Mike College Football Playoff no way to determine a national champion https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-no-way-to-determine-a-national-champion/ Forbes November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 December 2, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201202094700/https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-no-way-to-determine-a-national-champion/ live The exclusion of both Big 12 teams generated criticism that the system had not solved the problems of the BCS, and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby remarked that his conference had been punished for its lack of a conference championship game.Culpepper Chuck College Football Playoff field set but controversy lingers with Ohio State in, TCU snubbed https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-field-set-ohio-state-in-tcu-snubbed/ The Washington Post November 3, 2024 December 7, 2014 March 31, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230331091708/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/12/07/college-football-playoff-field-set-ohio-state-in-tcu-snubbed/ live subscription Under NCAA rules at the time, the Big 12 was not permitted to stage a conference championship game since they only had ten teams (the minimum was twelve) and did not obtain a waiver from the NCAA. +2014 College Football Playoff rankings top six progressionNo. NumberWeek 9Week 10Week 11Week 12Week 13Week 14Final1Mississippi State (7–0)Mississippi State (8–0)Mississippi State (9–0)Alabama (9–1)Alabama (10–1)Alabama (11–1)Alabama (12–1)2Florida State (7–0)Florida State (8–0)Oregon (9–1)Oregon (9–1)Oregon (10–1)Oregon (11–1)Oregon (12–1)3Auburn (6–1)Auburn (7–1)Florida State (9–0)Florida State (10–0)Florida State (11–0)TCU (10–1)Florida State (13–0)4Ole Miss (7–1)Oregon (8–1)TCU (8–1)Mississippi State (9–1)Mississippi State (10–1)Florida State (12–0)Ohio State (12–1)5Oregon (7–1)Alabama (7–1)Alabama (8–1)TCU (9–1)TCU (9–1)Ohio State (11–1)Baylor (11–1)6Alabama (7–1)TCU (7–1)Arizona State (8–1)Ohio State (9–1)Ohio State (10–1)Baylor (10–1)TCU (11–1) Key: #d8ffeb Team increased ranking from previous week #ffe6e6 Team decreased ranking from previous week #College Football Playoff Team selected to College Football Playoff #000000 Playoff games Semifinals Rose Bowl 2015 Rose Bowl Rose Bowl Game white; text-align:center y 2015 Rose Bowl January 1, 2015 2:00 p.m. PST No. 2 Oregon 8 10 27 14 No. 3 Florida State 3 10 7 0 the Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California The Rose Bowl began the inaugural College Football Playoff on January 1 with the matchup between No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State in the teams' first-ever meeting.Cook Steven Rose Bowl 2015: full preview and predictions for Oregon vs. Florida State https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2292643-rose-bowl-2015-full-preview-and-predictions-for-oregon-vs-florida-state Bleacher Report November 3, 2024 December 8, 2014 January 25, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160125235428/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2292643-rose-bowl-2015-full-preview-and-predictions-for-oregon-vs-florida-state live Florida State began the scoring with a field goal on their first drive, and Oregon responded with a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion. The Ducks maintained their five-point lead into halftime after each team scored a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter.Kilgore Adam 2015 Rose Bowl: Marcus Mariota and Oregon crush Jameis Winston, Florida State https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/2015-rose-bowl-marcus-mariota-and-oregon-crush-jameis-winston-florida-state/2015/01/01/e9b3a642-91fc-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html The Washington Post November 3, 2024 January 1, 2015 August 8, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150808161158/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/2015-rose-bowl-marcus-mariota-and-oregon-crush-jameis-winston-florida-state/2015/01/01/e9b3a642-91fc-11e4-ba53-a477d66580ed_story.html live After the teams traded touchdowns to begin the second half, Oregon went on a run of 34 unanswered points in less than thirteen minutes, helped by four Florida State turnovers to Oregon's one. The game was the 101st edition of the Rose Bowl and the first in which a team scored more than 50 points.Marcus Mariota, Ducks down error-prone FSU in Rose Bowl rout https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400610177 ESPN November 3, 2024 January 2, 2015 April 11, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240411124604/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400610177 live It also marked the end of the Seminoles' 29-game unbeaten streak. The win put Oregon through to the National Championship to face the Sugar Bowl champion. Sugar Bowl 2015 Sugar Bowl Sugar Bowl white; text-align:center y 2015 Sugar Bowl January 1, 2015 8:00 p.m. CST No. 4 Ohio State 6 14 14 8 No. 1 Alabama 14 7 7 7 Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana The second CFP semifinal, hosted at the Sugar Bowl, was played between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Ohio State.Cardale Jones, in 2nd career start, leads Ohio State in upset of Alabama https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400610178 ESPN November 3, 2024 January 2, 2015 September 25, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240925042327/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400610178 live It was the teams' fourth all-time meeting and the first since 1995.Landis Bill Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide in College Football Playoff semifinal https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2015/01/ohio_state_buckeyes_take_on_al.html The Plain Dealer November 3, 2024 January 1, 2015 March 28, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190328074407/https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2015/01/ohio_state_buckeyes_take_on_al.html live Both teams scored twice in the game's first quarter, Ohio State on two field goals and Alabama on two touchdowns, the first of which came after a fumble by Ezekiel Elliott. The Crimson Tide scored first in the second quarter following an interception by Cyrus Jones, though Ohio State responded with two touchdowns to narrow the deficit to one point entering halftime. After scoring first to begin the third quarter, Ohio State did not give up the lead, and they cemented their win on an 85-yard rush by Elliott late in the fourth quarter.Thamel Pete Ohio State downs Alabama in Sugar Bowl that signals a key power shift https://www.si.com/college/2015/01/02/ohio-state-alabama-sugar-bowl-college-football-playoff Sports Illustrated November 3, 2024 January 2, 2015 January 1, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230101171353/https://www.si.com/college/2015/01/02/ohio-state-alabama-sugar-bowl-college-football-playoff live The upset improved the Buckeyes to 13–1 and sent them to face Oregon in the National Championship.A No. 3 Quarterback topples No. 1 Alabama https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/02/sports/ncaafootball/ohio-state-cardale-jones-alabama-sugar-bowl-advances-national-title-game.html The New York Times November 3, 2024 January 2, 2015 Championship game 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship College Football Playoff white; text-align:center y 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship January 12, 2015 7:30 p.m. CST No. 4 Ohio State 14 7 7 14 No. 2 Oregon 7 3 10 0 AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas By virtue of their semifinal victories, No. 2 Oregon and No. 4 Ohio State met in the National Championship Game for the first time since the 2010 Rose Bowl.Oregon vs. Ohio State: National championship preview, prediction https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/2015/01/12/oregon-ohio-state-college-football-playoff-championship-game-preview-prediction/21635605/ The Arizona Republic November 3, 2024 January 12, 2015 Oregon led early after capping their first drive with a Marcus Mariota touchdown pass, though Ohio State scored two touchdowns later in the quarter and ultimately took an eleven-point lead into halftime following scores from Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliott, and Nick Vannett. A long touchdown reception by Byron Marshall, coupled with a later field goal, brought the Ducks within one point of Ohio State midway through the third quarter, but a second touchdown rush by Elliott gave Ohio State an eight-point advantage as the quarter expired. Elliott added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, ultimately giving the Buckeyes a twenty-two point victory and earning himself offensive MVP honors.Ezekiel Elliott's 4 TDs lift Ohio State to inaugural CFP title over Oregon https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400610325 ESPN November 3, 2024 January 13, 2015 May 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516084339/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/400610325 live The game ended with an interception, the fifth turnover of the contest,Regimbal David National Championship Game 2015: game grades, analysis for Oregon vs. Ohio State https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2327268-national-championship-game-2015-game-grades-analysis-for-oregon-vs-ohio-state Bleacher Report November 3, 2024 January 13, 2015 October 20, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211020051151/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2327268-national-championship-game-2015-game-grades-analysis-for-oregon-vs-ohio-state live securing Ohio State the national championship win.Ohio State vs. Oregon (Jan 12, 2015) – Play-by-Play https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay/_/gameId/400610325 ESPN November 3, 2024 en January 12, 2015 May 16, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230516084339/https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay/_/gameId/400610325 live Aftermath This was Ohio State's first national championship since their victory in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, and it was the third for Urban Meyer, who had won titles with Florida in the 2007 and 2009 BCS championships.Staats Wayne College football coaches with the most national championships https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-01-12/college-football-coaches-most-national-championships National Collegiate Athletic Association November 3, 2024 January 3, 2023 March 12, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230312023511/https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2021-01-12/college-football-coaches-most-national-championships live The Buckeyes finished the season with a 14–1 record, and the Ducks fell to 13–2 following their championship game loss.Russo Ralph D. Ohio State wins title in playoff's debut https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-review/158377408/ November 3, 2024 The Daily Review Associated Press January 13, 2015 Morgan City, Louisiana 7 Newspapers.com All three playoff games were televised on ESPN; the championship, which averaged over 33 million viewers, became the new most-watched cable broadcast. The Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl placed second and third all-time, respectively, with 28.27 million and 28.16 million viewers each. The national championship was also the most-streamed ESPN broadcast outside of the FIFA World Cup.Volner Derek College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN delivers largest audience in cable history; ESPN streaming record for non-World Cup programming https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2015/01/college-football-playoff-national-championship-espn/ ESPN Press Room ESPN November 3, 2024 January 13, 2015 May 29, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240529032732/https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2015/01/college-football-playoff-national-championship-espn/ live The title game earned a Nielsen rating of 18.2, also a cable television record.2014 Report: Passion for college football remains strong https://footballfoundation.org/news/2015/6/11/_55324.aspx National Football Foundation November 3, 2024 June 11, 2015 Notes References College Football Playoff