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.
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 with non-winning seasons participated in bowl games—12 with a.500 season and, for the third time in four years, a team with a sub-.500 season.

Schedule

The schedule for the 2014–15 bowl games is below. All times are EST. The rankings used are the CFP rankings.

Playoff

The 2014–15 postseason was the first to feature a College Football Playoff 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.

CFP bowl games and Championship Game

Starting with the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff 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. These six bowl games are also known as the New Year's Six. 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 [2014 2014 TCU Horned Frogs football team\|TCU Horned Frogs football team\|TCU Horned Frogs] No. 9 [2014 2014 Ole Miss Rebels football team\|Ole Miss Rebels football team\|Ole Miss Rebels]	[2014 Big 12 Conference\|Big 12 Conference football season\|Big 12] SEC	TCU 42 Ole Miss 3
Dec. 31	Fiesta Bowl	University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 4:00 pm	No. 20 [2014 2014 Boise State Broncos football team\|Boise State Broncos football team\|Boise State Broncos] No. 10 [2014 2014 Arizona Wildcats football team\|Arizona Wildcats football team\|Arizona Wildcats]	[2014 Mountain West Conference\|Mountain West Conference football season\|Mountain West] [2014 Pac-12 Conference\|Pac-12 Conference football season\|Pac-12]	Boise State 38 Arizona 30
Dec. 31	Orange Bowl	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL 7:30 pm	No. 12 [2014 2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team\|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team\|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets] No. 7 [2014 2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs football team\|Mississippi State Bulldogs]	ACC SEC	Georgia Tech 49 Mississippi State 34
Jan. 1	Cotton Bowl Classic	AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 1:00 pm	No. 8 [2014 2014 Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans football team\|Michigan State Spartans] No. 5 [2014 2014 Baylor Bears football team\|Baylor Bears football team\|Baylor Bears]	[2014 2014 Big Ten Conference football season\|Big Ten Conference football season\|Big Ten] Big 12	Michigan State 42 Baylor 41
Jan. 1	Rose Bowl	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA 5:00 pm	No. 2 [2014 2014 Oregon Ducks football team\|Oregon Ducks football team\|Oregon Ducks] No. 3 [2014 2014 Florida State Seminoles football team\|Florida State Seminoles football team\|Florida State Seminoles]	Pac-12 ACC	Oregon 59 Florida State 20
Jan. 1	Sugar Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 8:30 pm	No. 4 [2014 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes football team\|Ohio State Buckeyes] No. 1 [2014 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide football team\|Alabama Crimson Tide]	Big Ten SEC	Ohio State 42 Alabama 35
Jan. 12	College Football Playoff National Championship	AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 8:30 pm	No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes No. 2 Oregon Ducks	Big Ten Pac-12	Ohio State 42 Oregon 20

Non-CFP bowl games

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. Additionally, the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was replaced by the Quick Lane Bowl.

Date	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec. 20	New Orleans Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA 11:00 am	ESPN	[2014 2014 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team\|Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team\|Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns] [2014 2014 Nevada Wolf Pack football team\|Nevada Wolf Pack football team\|Nevada Wolf Pack]	Sun Belt Mountain West	Louisiana–Lafayette 16 Nevada 3
Dec. 20	New Mexico Bowl	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM 2:20 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies football team\|Utah State Aggies] [2014 2014 UTEP Miners football team\|UTEP Miners football team\|UTEP Miners]	Mountain West C-USA	Utah State 21 UTEP 6
Dec. 20	Las Vegas Bowl	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV 3:30 pm	ABC	No. 22 Utah Utes [2014 2014 Colorado State Rams football team\|Colorado State Rams football team\|Colorado State Rams]	Pac-12 Mountain West	Utah 45 Colorado State 10
Dec. 20	[2014 Famous 2014 Idaho Vandals football team\|Idaho Potato Bowl\|Famous Idaho Potato Bowl]	Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID 5:45 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Air Force Falcons football team\|Air Force Falcons football team\|Air Force Falcons] [2014 2014 Western Michigan Broncos football team\|Western Michigan Broncos football team\|Western Michigan Broncos]	Mountain West MAC	Air Force 38 Western Michigan 24
Dec. 20	Camellia Bowl	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL 9:15 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Bowling Green Falcons football team\|Bowling Green Falcons football team\|Bowling Green Falcons] [2014 2014 South Alabama Jaguars football team\|South Alabama Jaguars football team\|South Alabama Jaguars]	MAC Sun Belt	Bowling Green 33 South Alabama 28
Dec. 22	Miami Beach Bowl	Marlins Park Miami, Florida 2:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Memphis Tigers football team\|Memphis Tigers football team\|Memphis Tigers] [2014 2014 BYU Cougars football team\|BYU Cougars football team\|BYU Cougars]	American Independent	Memphis 55 BYU 48
Dec. 23	Boca Raton Bowl	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida 6:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd football team\|Marshall Thundering Herd] [2014 2014 Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern Illinois Huskies football team\|Northern 2014 Illinois Fighting Illini football team\|Illinois Huskies]	C-USA MAC	Marshall 52 Northern Illinois 23
Dec. 23	Poinsettia Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California 9:30 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Navy Midshipmen football team\|Navy Midshipmen football team\|Navy Midshipmen] [2014 2014 San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs football team\|San Diego State Aztecs]	Independent Mountain West	Navy 17 San Diego State 16
Dec. 24	Bahamas Bowl	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas 12:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team\|Western 2014 Kentucky Wildcats football team\|Kentucky Hilltoppers] [2014 2014 Central Michigan Chippewas football team\|Central Michigan Chippewas football team\|Central Michigan Chippewas]	C-USA MAC	Western Kentucky 49 Central Michigan 48
Dec. 24	Hawaii Bowl	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 8:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Rice Owls football team\|Rice Owls football team\|Rice Owls] [2014 2014 Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs football team\|Fresno State Bulldogs]	C-USA Mountain West	Rice 30 Fresno State 6
Dec. 26	Heart of Dallas Bowl	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX 1:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team\|Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team\|Louisiana Tech Bulldogs] Illinois Fighting Illini	C-USA Big Ten	Louisiana Tech 35 Illinois 18
Dec. 26	Quick Lane Bowl	Ford Field Detroit, MI 4:30 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team\|Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team\|Rutgers Scarlet Knights] [2014 2014 North Carolina Tar Heels football team\|North Carolina Tar Heels football team\|North Carolina Tar Heels]	Big Ten ACC	Rutgers 40 North Carolina 21
Dec. 26	St. Petersburg Bowl	Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL 8:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 NC State Wolfpack football team\|NC State Wolfpack football team\|NC State Wolfpack] [2014 2014 UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights football team\|UCF Knights]	ACC American	NC State 34 UCF 27
Dec. 27	Military Bowl	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD 1:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies football team\|Virginia Tech Hokies] [2014 2014 Cincinnati Bearcats football team\|Cincinnati Bearcats football team\|Cincinnati Bearcats]	ACC American	Virginia Tech 33 Cincinnati 17
Dec. 27	Sun Bowl	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX 2:00 pm	CBS	No. 15 [2014 2014 Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils football team\|Arizona State Sun Devils] [2014 2014 Duke Blue Devils football team\|Duke Blue Devils football team\|Duke Blue Devils]	Pac-12 ACC	Arizona State 36 Duke 31
Dec. 27	Independence Bowl	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA 4:00 pm	ABC	[2014 2014 South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks football team\|South Carolina Gamecocks] Miami Hurricanes	SEC ACC	South Carolina 24 Miami 21
Dec. 27	Pinstripe Bowl	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY 4:30 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions football team\|Penn State Nittany Lions] [2014 2014 Boston College Eagles football team\|Boston College Eagles football team\|Boston College Eagles]	Big Ten ACC	Penn State 31 Boston College 30
Dec. 27	Holiday Bowl	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California 8:00 pm	ESPN	No. 24 [2014 2014 USC Trojans football team\|USC Trojans football team\|USC Trojans] [2014 2014 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team\|Nebraska Cornhuskers football team\|Nebraska Cornhuskers]	Pac-12 Big Ten	USC 45 Nebraska 42
Dec. 29	Liberty Bowl	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN 2:00 pm	ESPN	Texas A&M Aggies [2014 2014 West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West Virginia Mountaineers football team\|West Virginia Mountaineers]	SEC Big 12	Texas A&M 45 West Virginia 37
Dec. 29	Russell Athletic Bowl	Citrus Bowl Stadium Orlando, FL 5:30 pm	ESPN	No. 17 [2014 2014 Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers football team\|Clemson Tigers] [2014 2014 Oklahoma Sooners football team\|Oklahoma Sooners football team\|Oklahoma Sooners]	ACC Big 12	Clemson 40 Oklahoma 6
Dec. 29	Texas Bowl	NRG Stadium Houston, TX 9:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Arkansas Razorbacks football team\|Arkansas Razorbacks football team\|Arkansas Razorbacks] Texas Longhorns	SEC Big 12	Arkansas 31 Texas 7
Dec. 30	Music City Bowl	LP Field Nashville, TN 3:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team\|Notre Dame Fighting Irish] No. 23 [2014 2014 LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers football team\|LSU Tigers]	Independent SEC	Notre Dame 31 LSU 28
Dec. 30	Belk Bowl	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC 6:45 pm	ESPN	No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs No. 21 [2014 2014 Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals football team\|Louisville Cardinals]	SEC ACC	Georgia 37 Louisville 14
Dec. 30	Foster Farms Bowl	Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA 10:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Stanford Cardinal football team\|Stanford Cardinal football team\|Stanford Cardinal] [2014 2014 Maryland Terrapins football team\|Maryland Terrapins football team\|Maryland Terrapins]	Pac-12 Big Ten	Stanford 45 Maryland 21
Jan. 1	Outback Bowl	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL 12:00 pm	ESPN2	No. 18 [2014 2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers football team\|Wisconsin Badgers] No. 19 [2014 2014 Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers football team\|Auburn Tigers]	Big Ten SEC	Wisconsin 34 Auburn 31
Jan. 1	Citrus Bowl	Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium Orlando, FL 1:00 pm	ABC	No. 16 [2014 2014 Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers football team\|Missouri Tigers] No. 25 [2014 2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team\|Minnesota Golden Gophers football team\|Minnesota Golden Gophers]	SEC Big Ten	Missouri 33 Minnesota 17
Jan. 2	Armed Forces Bowl	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX 12:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars football team\|Houston Cougars] [2014 2014 Pittsburgh Panthers football team\|Pittsburgh Panthers football team\|Pittsburgh Panthers]	American ACC	Houston 35 Pittsburgh 34
Jan. 2	TaxSlayer Bowl	EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL 3:20 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Tennessee Volunteers football team\|Tennessee Volunteers football team\|Tennessee Volunteers] [2014 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes football team\|Iowa Hawkeyes football team\|Iowa Hawkeyes]	SEC Big Ten	Tennessee 45 Iowa 28
Jan. 2	Alamo Bowl	Alamodome San Antonio, TX 6:45 pm	ESPN	No. 14 [2014 2014 UCLA Bruins football team\|UCLA Bruins football team\|UCLA Bruins] No. 11 [2014 2014 Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats football team\|Kansas State Wildcats]	Pac-12 Big 12	UCLA 40 Kansas State 35
Jan. 2	Cactus Bowl	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ 10:15 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys football team\|Oklahoma State Cowboys] [2014 2014 Washington Huskies football team\|Washington Huskies football team\|Washington Huskies]	Big 12 Pac-12	Oklahoma State 30 Washington 22
Jan. 3	Birmingham Bowl	Legion Field Birmingham, AL 12:00 pm	ESPN	Florida Gators [2014 2014 East Carolina Pirates football team\|East Carolina Pirates football team\|East Carolina Pirates]	SEC American	Florida 28 East Carolina 20
Jan. 4	GoDaddy Bowl	Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL 9:00 pm	ESPN	[2014 2014 Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets football team\|Toledo Rockets] [2014 2014 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team\|Arkansas State Red Wolves football team\|Arkansas State Red Wolves]	MAC Sun Belt	Toledo 63 Arkansas State 44

Selection of the teams

CFP top 25 teams

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

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	12–1	SEC champions	Sugar Bowl
2	Oregon Ducks	12–1	Pac-12 champions	Rose Bowl
3	Florida State Seminoles	13–0	ACC champions	Rose Bowl
4	Ohio State Buckeyes	12–1	Big Ten champions	Sugar Bowl
5	Baylor Bears	11–1	Big 12 co-champions	Cotton Bowl Classic
6	TCU Horned Frogs	11–1	Big 12 co-champions	Peach Bowl
7	Mississippi State Bulldogs	10–2	SEC Western Division second place	Orange Bowl
8	Michigan State Spartans	10–2	Big Ten East Division second place	Cotton Bowl Classic
9	Ole Miss Rebels	9–3	SEC Western Division third place	Peach Bowl
10	Arizona Wildcats	10–3	Pac-12 South Division champions	Fiesta Bowl
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
13	Georgia Bulldogs	9–3	SEC Eastern Division second place	Belk Bowl
14	UCLA Bruins	9–3	Pac-12 South Division second place	Alamo Bowl
15	Arizona State Sun Devils	9–3	Pac-12 South Division second place	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	Outback Bowl
20	Boise State Broncos	11–2	Mountain West champions	Fiesta Bowl
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	Music City Bowl
24	USC Trojans	8–4	Pac-12 South Division second place	Holiday Bowl
25	Minnesota Golden Gophers	8–4	Big Ten West Division second place	Citrus Bowl

Conference champions' bowl games

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		Rose Bowl
American	Cincinnati Bearcats		—	Military Bowl
American	Memphis Tigers		—	Miami Beach Bowl
American	UCF Knights		—	St. Petersburg Bowl
	Ohio State Buckeyes	12–1		Sugar Bowl
Big 12	Baylor Bears	11–1		Cotton Bowl Classic
Big 12	TCU Horned Frogs	11–1		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		Rose Bowl
SEC	Alabama Crimson Tide	12–1		Sugar Bowl
Sun Belt	[2014 2014 Georgia Southern Eagles football team\|Georgia Southern Eagles football team\|Georgia Southern Eagles]		—	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

American : Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Temple, UCF
ACC : Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech
Big 12 : Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, West Virginia
Big Ten : Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Conference USA : Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Rice, UAB, UTEP, Western Kentucky
Independents : BYU, Navy, Notre Dame
MAC : Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West : Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State
Pac-12 : Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington
SEC : Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Sun Belt : Arkansas State, Louisiana–Lafayette, South Alabama, Texas State

Number of bowl berths available: 76

'''Number of bowl-eligible teams: 81'''

Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth

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

Bowl-ineligible teams

American : Connecticut, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, USF
ACC : Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest
Big Ten : Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue
Big 12 : Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech
Conference USA : FIU, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, [2014 2014 Old Dominion Monarchs football team|Old Dominion Monarchs football team|Old Dominion]†, Southern Miss, UTSA
Independents : Army
MAC : Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Massachusetts, Miami (OH)
Mountain West : Hawai'i, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming
Pac 12 : California, Colorado, Oregon State, Washington State
SEC : Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Sun Belt : [2014 2014 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team|Appalachian State Mountaineers football team|Appalachian State]†, Georgia Southern†, Georgia State, Idaho‡, Louisiana–Monroe, New Mexico State, Troy

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 47
† – Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, and Old Dominion 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.