2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season

2014 NCAA Division I FBS season
Oregon on offense in their Week 1 game against the FCS team South Dakota
Number of teams126 full members + 2 transitional
DurationAugust 27 – December 13
Preseason AP No. 1Florida State
Post-season
DurationDecember 20, 2014 – January 12, 2015
Bowl games39
AP Poll No. 1Ohio State
Coaches Poll No. 1Ohio State
Heisman TrophyMarcus Mariota (quarterback, Oregon)
College Football Playoff
2015 College Football Playoff National Championship
SiteAT&T Stadium
Arlington, Texas
Champion(s)Ohio State
NCAA Division I FBS football seasons
← 2013 2015 →

The 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The regular season began on August 27, 2014 and ended on December 13, 2014. The postseason concluded on January 12, 2015 with the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The 2014 season marked a major change to the postseason with the introduction of the College Football Playoff, a four-team knockout tournament to determine the national champion of Division I FBS. The College Football Playoff system replaced the Bowl Championship Series, which had been in use since 1998.

Ohio State beat Oregon to claim the first ever FBS (formerly Division I-A) national title awarded using a playoff system. Following the game, Ohio State was named the No. 1 team in the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll for the season, making the Buckeyes consensus national champions among the major polls.

Rule changes

The following rule changes have been made by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2014 season:

A rule meant to slow down the hurry-up offense by preventing teams from snapping the ball within the first ten seconds of the 40-second play clock to allow for defensive substitutions, or be penalized five yards for delay of game (except within the final 2:00 of each half or when the play clock is set to 25 seconds) was tabled by the Rules Committee and not voted on.

Conference realignment

Membership changes

Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion moved from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to FBS. 2014 was expected to be the final season for UAB football, who dropped their program at the conclusion of the season due to financial reasons. The UAB football program later restarted in 2017.

School Former conference New conference
Appalachian State Southern Conference (FCS) Sun Belt
East Carolina Conference USA The American
Georgia Southern Southern Conference (FCS) Sun Belt
Idaho FBS independent Sun Belt
Louisville The American ACC
Maryland ACC Big Ten
New Mexico State FBS independent Sun Belt
Old Dominion FCS Independent Conference USA
Rutgers The American Big Ten
Tulane Conference USA The American
Tulsa Conference USA The American
Western Kentucky Sun Belt Conference USA

Other headlines

Updated stadiums

New stadiums

The three schools that moved from FCS to FBS this season use existing on-campus stadiums:

Renovated stadiums

Other

Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 9 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that fail to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.

Conference standings

2014 American Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 25 Memphis +   7 1     10 3  
Cincinnati +   7 1     9 4  
UCF +   7 1     9 4  
East Carolina   5 3     8 5  
Houston   5 3     8 5  
Temple   4 4     6 6  
South Florida   3 5     4 8  
Tulane   2 6     3 9  
Tulsa   2 6     2 10  
UConn   1 7     2 10  
SMU   1 7     1 11  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Atlantic Division
No. T–5 Florida State x$^   8 0     13 1  
No. 15 Clemson   6 2     10 3  
No. 24 Louisville   5 3     9 4  
Boston College   4 4     7 6  
NC State   3 5     8 5  
Syracuse   1 7     3 9  
Wake Forest   1 7     3 9  
Coastal Division
No. 8 Georgia Tech x   6 2     11 3  
Duke   5 3     9 4  
North Carolina   4 4     6 7  
Pittsburgh   4 4     6 7  
Miami (FL)   3 5     6 7  
Virginia Tech   3 5     7 6  
Virginia   3 5     5 7  
Championship: Florida State 37, Georgia Tech 35
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 1 Ohio State x$#^   8 0     14 1  
No. T–5 Michigan State   7 1     11 2  
Maryland   4 4     7 6  
Rutgers   3 5     8 5  
Michigan   3 5     5 7  
Penn State   2 6     7 6  
Indiana   1 7     4 8  
West Division
No. 13 Wisconsin x   7 1     11 3  
Minnesota   5 3     8 5  
Nebraska   5 3     9 4  
Iowa   4 4     7 6  
Illinois   3 5     6 7  
Northwestern   3 5     5 7  
Purdue   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Big 12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Baylor +   8 1     11 2  
No. 3 TCU +   8 1     12 1  
No. 18 Kansas State   7 2     9 4  
Oklahoma   5 4     8 5  
West Virginia   5 4     7 6  
Texas   5 4     6 7  
Oklahoma State   4 5     7 6  
Texas Tech   2 7     4 8  
Kansas   1 8     3 9  
Iowa State   0 9     2 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 23 Marshall x$   7 1     13 1  
Middle Tennessee   5 3     6 6  
Western Kentucky   4 4     8 5  
UAB   4 4     6 6  
Old Dominion*   4 4     6 6  
FIU   3 5     4 8  
Florida Atlantic   2 6     3 9  
West Division
Louisiana Tech x   7 1     9 5  
Rice   5 3     8 5  
UTEP   5 3     7 6  
UTSA   3 5     4 8  
North Texas   2 6     4 8  
Southern Miss   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Marshall 26, Louisiana Tech 23
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * Ineligible for postseason bowl due to transition from FCS
As of 22:24, 20 December 2014 (UTC)
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Bowling Green x   5 3     8 6  
Ohio   4 4     6 6  
Buffalo   3 4     5 6  
Akron   3 5     5 7  
UMass   3 5     3 9  
Miami (OH)   2 6     2 10  
Kent State   1 6     2 9  
West Division
Northern Illinois xy$   7 1     11 3  
Toledo x   7 1     9 4  
Western Michigan   6 2     8 5  
Central Michigan   5 3     7 6  
Ball State   4 4     5 7  
Eastern Michigan   1 7     2 10  
Championship: Northern Illinois 51, Bowling Green 17
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
2014 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Mountain Division
No. 16 Boise State x$   7 1     12 2  
Colorado State   6 2     10 3  
Utah State   6 2     10 4  
Air Force   5 3     10 3  
New Mexico   2 6     4 8  
Wyoming   2 6     4 8  
West Division
Fresno State x   5 3     6 8  
San Diego State   5 3     7 6  
Nevada   4 4     7 6  
Hawaii   3 5     4 9  
San Jose State   2 6     3 9  
UNLV   1 7     2 11  
Championship: Boise State 28, Fresno State 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 2 Oregon x$^   8 1     13 2  
Stanford   5 4     8 5  
Washington   4 5     8 6  
California   3 6     5 7  
Oregon State   2 7     5 7  
Washington State   2 7     3 9  
South Division
No. 19 Arizona x   7 2     10 4  
No. 10 UCLA   6 3     10 3  
No. 12 Arizona State   6 3     10 3  
No. 20 USC   6 3     9 4  
No. 21 Utah   5 4     9 4  
Colorado   0 9     2 10  
Championship: Oregon 51, Arizona 13
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 14 Missouri x   7 1     11 3  
No. 9 Georgia   6 2     10 3  
Florida   4 4     7 5  
Tennessee   3 5     7 6  
South Carolina   3 5     7 6  
Kentucky   2 6     5 7  
Vanderbilt   0 8     3 9  
Western Division
No. 4 Alabama x$^   7 1     12 2  
No. 11 Mississippi State   6 2     10 3  
No. 17 Ole Miss *   5 3     9 4  
No. 22 Auburn   4 4     8 5  
LSU *   4 4     8 5  
Texas A&M   3 5     8 5  
Arkansas   2 6     7 6  
Championship: Alabama 42, Missouri 13
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * LSU and Ole Miss vacated all wins (except for Ole Miss' win over Presbyterian) due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll
2014 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Georgia Southern * $   8 0     9 3  
Louisiana–Lafayette ***   5 1     7 4  
Appalachian State *   6 2     7 5  
Texas State   5 3     7 5  
Arkansas State   5 3     7 6  
South Alabama   5 3     6 7  
Louisiana–Monroe   3 5     4 8  
Troy   3 5     3 9  
New Mexico State   1 7     2 10  
Idaho **   1 7     1 10  
Georgia State   0 8     1 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – Appalachian State and Georgia Southern ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
    ** – Idaho ineligible for postseason play due to APR penalties
    *** – Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2 wins due to NCAA violations
2014 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
BYU           8 5  
Notre Dame           8 5  
Navy           8 5  
Army           4 8  
Rankings from AP Poll

Conference summaries

Rankings reflect the Week 15 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.

Power 5 Conferences

Conference Champion Runner-up Score Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year
ACC No. 2 Florida State CFP No. 12 Georgia Tech 37–35 James Conner, RB,
Pittsburgh
(Player of the Year)
Vic Beasley, DE,
Clemson
Paul Johnson,
Georgia Tech
Big 12 No. 5 Baylor

No. 4 TCU

N/A N/A Trevone Boykin, TCU Paul Dawson, TCU Gary Patterson, TCU
Big Ten No. 6 Ohio State CFP No. 11 Wisconsin 59–0 Melvin Gordon, RB,
Wisconsin
Joey Bosa, DE,
Ohio State
Jerry Kill,
Minnesota
(coaches and media)
Pac-12 No. 3 Oregon CFP No. 8 Arizona 51–13 Marcus Mariota, QB,
Oregon
Scooby Wright, LB,
Arizona
Rich Rodriguez,
Arizona
SEC No. 1 Alabama CFP No. 14 Missouri 42–13 Amari Cooper, WR,
Alabama (AP, Coaches)
Shane Ray, DE,
Missouri (AP, Coaches)
Dan Mullen,
Mississippi State (AP)
Gary Pinkel,
Missouri (Coaches)

Group of Five Conferences

Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.

Conference Champion Runner Up Score Record Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Coach of the Year
AAC Memphis
UCF
Cincinnati
N/A N/A Memphis 9-3
Cincinnati 9-3
UCF 9-3
Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF &
Tank Jakes, LB, Memphis
Justin Fuente, Memphis
C-USA Marshall Louisiana Tech 26–23 Marshall 12-1 Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky (MVP)
Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall (Offensive POY)
Neville Hewitt, LB, Marshall Doc Holliday, Marshall
MAC Northern Illinois Bowling Green 51–17 Northern Illinois 11-2 Jarvion Franklin, RB,
Western Michigan
Quinten Rollins, DB,
Miami (OH)
P. J. Fleck,
Western Michigan
MW No. 22 Boise State Fresno State 28–14 Boise State 11-2 Garrett Grayson, QB,
Colorado State
Zach Vigil, LB,
Utah State
Jim McElwain,
Colorado State
Sun Belt Georgia Southern N/A N/A Georgia Southern 8-3* Elijah McGuire, RB,
Louisiana–Lafayette
David Mayo, LB,
Texas State
Willie Fritz,
Georgia Southern

CFP College Football Playoff participant

* On July 22, 2016, Georgia Southern announced that it had been ordered by the NCAA to vacate two wins from the 2013 season and one win from the 2014 season as punishment for fielding academically ineligible student athletes during those games. The ruling does not affect Georgia Southern's 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship.

Postseason

Bowl selections

Starting with the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games host two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For the 2014-15 season, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl hosted the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Bowl-eligible teams

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

Bowl-eligible teams that were not invited

Ohio, Texas State, Temple, UAB, Middle Tennessee

Bowl-ineligible teams

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 due to enough teams qualifying 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.

College Football Playoff

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  
This bracket:


Conference performance in bowl games

Conference Total games Wins Losses Pct.
SEC 12 7 5 .583
ACC 11 4 7 .364
Big Ten 11 6 5 .545
Pac-12 9 6 3 .667
Big 12 7 2 5 .286
MW 7 3 4 .429
American 5 2 3 .400
C-USA 5 4 1 .800
MAC 5 2 3 .400
Independents 3 2 1 .667
Sun Belt 3 1 2 .333

Rankings

Final CFP rankings

CFP School Record Bowl Game
1 Alabama 12–1 Sugar Bowl
2 Oregon 12–1 Rose Bowl
3 Florida State 13–0 Rose Bowl
4 Ohio State 12–1 Sugar Bowl
5 Baylor 11–1 Cotton Bowl
6 TCU 11–1 Peach Bowl
7 Mississippi State 10–2 Orange Bowl
8 Michigan State 10–2 Cotton Bowl
9 Ole Miss 9–3 Peach Bowl
10 Arizona 10–3 Fiesta Bowl
11 Kansas State 9–3 Alamo Bowl
12 Georgia Tech 10–3 Orange Bowl
13 Georgia 9–3 Belk Bowl
14 UCLA 9–3 Alamo Bowl
15 Arizona State 9–3 Sun Bowl
16 Missouri 10–3 Citrus Bowl
17 Clemson 9–3 Russell Athletic Bowl
18 Wisconsin 10–3 Outback Bowl
19 Auburn 8–4 Outback Bowl
20 Boise State 11–2 Fiesta Bowl
21 Louisville 9–3 Belk Bowl
22 Utah 8–4 Las Vegas Bowl
23 LSU 8–4 Music City Bowl
24 USC 8–4 Holiday Bowl
25 Minnesota 8–4 Citrus Bowl

Final rankings

Rank Associated Press Coaches' Poll
1 Ohio State Ohio State
2 Oregon Oregon
3 TCU TCU
4 Alabama Alabama
5 Florida State Michigan State
6 Michigan State Florida State
7 Baylor Georgia Tech
8 Georgia Tech Baylor
9 Georgia Georgia
10 UCLA UCLA
11 Mississippi State Missouri
12 Arizona State Mississippi State
13 Wisconsin Wisconsin
14 Missouri Arizona State
15 Clemson Clemson
16 Boise State Boise State
17 Ole Miss Arizona
18 Kansas State Kansas State
19 Arizona Ole Miss
20 USC Utah
21 Utah USC
22 Auburn Marshall
23 Marshall Auburn
24 Louisville Louisville
25 Memphis Memphis

Unlike the BCS, the Coaches' Poll is not contractually obligated to name the CFP champion as its No. 1 team.

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.

Player School Position 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Marcus Mariota Oregon QB 788 74 22 2,534
Melvin Gordon Wisconsin RB 37 432 275 1,250
Amari Cooper Alabama WR 49 280 316 1,023
Trevone Boykin TCU QB 8 45 104 218
J. T. Barrett Ohio State QB 0 19 40 78
Jameis Winston Florida State QB 4 10 19 51
Tevin Coleman Indiana RB 2 8 22 44
Dak Prescott Mississippi State QB 2 4 28 42
Scooby Wright Arizona LB 0 4 13 21
Bryce Petty Baylor QB 1 3 4 13

Other overall

Special overall

Offense

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Lineman

Defense

Defensive line

Defensive back

Special teams

Coaches

Assistants

All-Americans

Coaching changes

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2014. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2014, see 2013 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

Team Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Buffalo Jeff Quinn October 12, 2014 Fired Alex Wood (interim)
Buffalo Alex Wood (interim) November 30, 2014 Replaced Lance Leipold (permanent)
Central Michigan Dan Enos January 22, 2015 Hired as offensive coordinator by Arkansas John Bonamego
Colorado State Jim McElwain December 4, 2014 Hired by Florida Dave Baldwin (interim)
Colorado State Dave Baldwin (interim) December 22, 2014 Replaced Mike Bobo (permanent)
Florida Will Muschamp November 16, 2014 Resigned D. J. Durkin (interim – bowl game)
Florida D. J. Durkin (interim) December 4, 2014 Replaced Jim McElwain (permanent)
Houston Tony Levine December 8, 2014 Fired David Gibbs (interim)
Houston David Gibbs (interim) December 16, 2014 Replaced Tom Herman (permanent)
Kansas Charlie Weis September 28, 2014 Fired Clint Bowen (Interim)
Kansas Clint Bowen (interim) December 5, 2014 Replaced David Beaty (permanent)
Michigan Brady Hoke December 2, 2014 Fired Jim Harbaugh
Nebraska Bo Pelini November 30, 2014 Fired Barney Cotton (interim)
Nebraska Barney Cotton (interim) December 4, 2014 Replaced Mike Riley (permanent)
Pittsburgh Paul Chryst December 17, 2014 Hired by Wisconsin Joe Rudolph (interim)
Pittsburgh Joe Rudolph (interim) December 23, 2014 Replaced Pat Narduzzi (permanent)
Oregon State Mike Riley December 4, 2014 Hired by Nebraska Gary Andersen
SMU June Jones September 8, 2014 Resigned Tom Mason (interim)
SMU Tom Mason (interim) November 30, 2014 Replaced Chad Morris (permanent)
Troy Larry Blakeney October 5, 2014 Retired Neal Brown
Tulsa Bill Blankenship December 1, 2014 Fired Philip Montgomery
UAB Bill Clark December 2, 2014 School dropped football None
UNLV Bobby Hauck November 28, 2014 Resigned Tony Sanchez
Wisconsin Gary Andersen December 10, 2014 Hired by Oregon State Barry Alvarez (interim – bowl game)
Wisconsin Barry Alvarez (interim) December 17, 2014 for bowl game Paul Chryst (permanent)

Television viewers and ratings

Most watched regular season games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll before (10/28) and the CFP Rankings thereafter.

Rank Date Matchup Channel Viewers (millions) TV Rating Significance
1 November 29, 7:45pm No. 15 Auburn 44 No. 1 Alabama 55 ESPN 13.53 7.4 College GameDay/Rivalry
2 October 18, 8:00pm No. 5 Notre Dame 27 No. 1 Florida State 31 ABC 13.25 7.9 College GameDay
3 November 15, 3:30pm No. 1 Mississippi State 20 No. 5 Alabama 25 CBS 10.27 6.4 College GameDay/Rivalry
4 November 8, 8:00pm No. 5 Alabama 20 No. 16 LSU 13 9.11 5.3 Rivalry
5 November 15, 8:00pm No. 2 Florida State 30 Miami (FL) 26 ABC 8.74 5.3 Rivalry
6 November 29, 12:00pm Michigan 28 No. 6 Ohio State 42 8.23 4.9 Rivalry
7 September 20, 3:30pm Florida 21 No. 3 Alabama 42 CBS 7.95 5.1 Rivalry
8 September 20, 8:00pm No. 22 Clemson 17 No. 1 Florida State 23 ABC 7.34 4.5 Rivalry
9 November 8, 3:30pm Texas A&M 41 No. 3 Auburn 38 CBS 7.21 4.4
10 November 8, 8:00pm No. 14 Ohio State 49 No. 8 Michigan State 37 ABC 6.83 3.9 College GameDay

Kickoff games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll.

Rank Date Matchup Channel Viewers (millions) TV Rating Game Location
1 August 30, 3:30pm No. 2 Alabama 33 West Virginia 23 Regional ABC 6.4 4 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Georgia Dome, Atlanta
2 August 30, 8:00pm Oklahoma State 31 No. 1 Florida State 37 ABC 6.03 2.4 Cowboys Classic AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
3 August 30, 9:00pm No. 13 LSU 28 No. 14 Wisconsin 24 ESPN 4.68 2.8 Texas Kickoff Reliant Stadium, Houston
4 August 28, 8:00pm Boise State 13 No. 18 Ole Miss 35 ESPN 2.42 1.5 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Conference championship games

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.

Rank Date Matchup Channel Viewers (millions) TV Rating Conference Location
1 December 6, 4:00pm No. 1 Alabama 42 No. 16 Missouri 13 CBS 12.8 7.8 SEC Georgia Dome, Atlanta
2 December 6, 8:00pm No. 4 Florida State 37 No. 11 Georgia Tech 35 ABC 10.1 6.2 ACC Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
3 December 6, 8:00pm No. 13 Wisconsin 0 No. 5 Ohio State 59 FOX 6.13 3.5 Big Ten Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
4 December 5, 9:00pm No. 7 Arizona 13 No. 2 Oregon 51 FOX 6.00 3.7 Pac-12 Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
5 December 6, 10:00pm Fresno State 14 No. 22 Boise State 28 CBS 1.53 1.0 MW Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
6 December 6, 12:00pm Louisiana Tech 23 Marshall 26 ESPN2 0.725 0.5 C-USA Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, West Virginia
7 December 5, 7:00pm Bowling Green 17 Northern Illinois 51 ESPN2 0.692 0.5 MAC Ford Field, Detroit

College Football Playoff

All times Eastern. Rankings are from the CFP Rankings.

Game Date Matchup Channel Viewers (millions) TV Rating
Rose Bowl January 1, 2015 5:00pm No. 3 Florida State 20 No. 2 Oregon 59 ESPN 28.2 14.8
Sugar Bowl January 1, 2015 8:00pm No. 4 Ohio State 42 No. 1 Alabama 35 28.3 15.2
National Championship January 12, 2015 8:30pm No. 4 Ohio State 42 No. 2 Oregon 20 33.4^ 18.2

^Does not include viewers from ESPN Megacast which also included channels ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, and ESPN Deportes. 34.1 Million viewers for all channels combined.

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