2025 Rose Bowl


The 2025 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2025, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The 111th annual Rose Bowl game was one of the 2024–25 College Football Playoff quarterfinals and featured top-ranked Oregon and sixth-ranked Ohio State, both members of the Big Ten Conference. This was the first time since the 1944 game in which two teams from the same conference competed in the Rose Bowl. The game began at approximately 2:00 p.m. PST. The Rose Bowl was one of the 2024–25 bowl games concluding the 2024 [NCAA Division I FBS football season|2024 FBS football season]. Sponsored by the Prudential financial service company, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the 2025 Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential.

Background

The 2025 Rose Bowl was a quarterfinal game for the 2024–25 College Football Playoff. 2024 [Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon], being the top-ranked team in the final 2024 NCAA [Division I FBS football rankings|CFP rankings] and winner of the 2024 Big Ten [Football Championship Game|Big Ten Championship Game], received a bye in the new 12-team format of the CFP and was selected to play in the bowl game.
Sixth-ranked 2024 [Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State], the number eight seed in the tournament, defeated 2024 [Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee] in the first round, 42–17, to advance to this game.
This was the 12th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Oregon, as well as their first post-season meeting since the inaugural 2015 CFP National Championship game in Arlington, which Ohio State won 42–20. It was also their third meeting in the Rose Bowl, following the 1958 and 2010 editions of the bowl from when the game traditionally featured champions of the Big Ten and Pac-12. The Buckeyes won both times, but the Ducks won the teams' meeting earlier in the 2024 [NCAA Division I FBS football season|2024 season], a Week 7 game at Autzen Stadium, 32–31.
With the win, Ohio State advanced to the CFP semifinals, facing the winner of the Peach Bowl, 2024 [Texas Longhorns football team|Texas], in the Cotton Bowl Classic (January)|Cotton Bowl Classic].
Due to a medical issue, sportswriter Art Spander ended a 70-game streak of attending Pasadena-based playings of the Rose Bowl.

Teams

Oregon Ducks

This was the ninth Rose Bowl appearance for the Ducks, who entered the game with a 4–4 record in prior appearances. Their most recent prior appearance was the 2020 game, a win over 2019 [Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin]. Oregon entered the game as the Big Ten Conference champions with an 13–0 record, their first season in the conference.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State was 9–7 in prior Rose Bowl appearances, with their more recent prior appearance coming in the 2022 edition, a three-point victory over 2021 [Utah Utes football team|Utah]. The Buckeyes came into this game with an 11–2 record following their 42–17 first-round win over Tennessee. Ohio State's losses to Oregon and archrival 2024 [Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan] were by a total of four points.

Game summary

Statistics

StatisticOhio StateOregon
First downs2015
First downs rushing72
First downs passing1213
First downs penalty10
Third down efficiency4–118–19
Fourth down efficiency0–02–3
Total plays–net yards57–50070–276
Rushing attempts–net yards31–18128–-23
Yards per rush5.8-0.8
Yards passing319299
Pass completions–attempts17–2629–42
Interceptions thrown00
Punt returns–total yards0–00–0
Kickoff returns–total yards1–30–0
Punts–average yardage5–2028–319
Fumbles–lost0–00–0
Penalties–yards2–143–13
Time of possession29:0530:55