Rose Bowl 2015: Known Info Before Final Playoff Rankings Reveal
The Rose Bowl is traditionally one of the biggest games of the college football season, and that's no different this year, given the stakes.
Historically, the Rose Bowl generally featured the winners of the Big Ten and Pac-10/Pac-12 conferences.
Since the creation of the Bowl Championship Series, the Rose Bowl became a little more inclusive, serving as the national championship for a few different seasons and also featuring TCU and Oklahoma when the conference champions were otherwise occupied.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With the advent of the College Football Playoff, that changes a bit.
Until the selection committee unveils the last batch of College Football Playoff rankings, it's anybody's guess as to whom will play in the 2015 Rose Bowl.
Here's what we know so far heading into the New Year's Day clash.
When: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Watch: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Where Rose Bowl Fits into Playoff
Since this is the first year for the playoff, some fans remain unaware how the Rose Bowl fits into this year's rotation. The game serves as one of two semifinals this year, with the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds facing off. The winner will play whomever wins the Sugar Bowl, with the national championship in Arlington, Texas.
In the old system, you had the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl fall under the BCS umbrella. One of the four would host the national championship, with the host rotating from one year to the next.
In the CFP, the Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl are added to the prestigious list. Rather than switching the national championship, the six bowls rotate who hosts the two semifinal games. You can see the rotation schedule for the next three years below.
| 2015 | ||
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | |
| 2016 | ||
| Jan. 1 | Orange Bowl | |
| Jan. 1 | Cotton Bowl | |
| 2017 | ||
| Jan. 2 | Peach Bowl | |
| Jan. 2 | Fiesta Bowl |
The Rose Bowl won't serve as the national semifinal at any other point in the next three years.
Who's Still in Play?
Nobody can say for sure right now who will play in the Rose Bowl. Between glancing at the Week 15 playoff rankings and results from Friday and Saturday's games, however, fans can get a good idea of at least which teams are in the discussion.
Three teams are essentially locks for the top four after the conference championships: Florida State, Alabama and Oregon. The Crimson Tide and Ducks won the two toughest conferences in the country, while the Seminoles are the only Power Five team still unbeaten.
Say what you want about Florida State's penchant for close wins. The only thing FSU needs as a playoff credential is its 13-0 record. Head coach Jimbo Fisher isn't sweating the committee's decision, per Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated:
It seems a safe bet that the committee will be weighing the resumes of Ohio State, Baylor and TCU as it fills out the playoff bracket.
The Big 12 is officially recognizing two champions, which makes the committee's decision that much harder:
Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight wondered whether the members might save itself a major headache and simply send in the Buckeyes:
Say what you want about the Big Ten, but beating Wisconsin by 59 points in the title game was a major statement. According to ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach, it was the second-biggest shutout of a top-15 team ever:
Schlabach also crunched the numbers, and it's hard to vote against OSU:
Those fans without a dog in the fight shouldn't really get upset no matter who gets sent into the playoff. There won't be a bad semifinal matchup, and this system is miles better than the Bowl Championship Series.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
