Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential
The Granddaddy of Them All
Stadium
Location
Previous stadiums
Tournament Park
(1902, 1916–1922)
Temporary venue
Duke Stadium, Durham, North Carolina (1942)[a]
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (2021)[b]
Operated
1902, 1916–present
Championship affiliation
Conference tie-ins
Big Ten (1947–present)
Previous conference tie-ins
Pac-12 (1917–2023)
Payout
US$35 million/conference (As of 2016[update])[2]
Sponsors
Former names
Utah vs. Penn State (Penn State 35–21)
Michigan vs. Alabama (Michigan 27–20OT)
The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, traditionally played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose BowlinPasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. Nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Them All" by broadcaster Keith Jackson, it was the first postseason football game ever established.[3] The Rose Bowl Game was first played in 1902 as the Tournament East–West football game, and has been played annually since 1916. Since 1945, it has been the highest attended college football bowl game.[4] The game is a part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association's "America's New Year Celebration", which also includes the historic Rose Parade. Winners of the game receive the Leishman Trophy, named for former Tournament of Roses presidents, William L. Leishman and Lathrop K. Leishman who played an important part in the history of this game.
The Rose Bowl Game has hosted the conference champions from the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences (or their predecessors) since 1947. Since 2002, the Rose Bowl Game has occasionally deviated from its traditional matchups for use in "national championship" systems. In 2002 and 2006 (the 2001 and 2005 seasons), under the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system, the Rose Bowl was designated as its championship game, and hosted the top two teams determined by the BCS system. Beginning in 2015, the Rose Bowl has been part of the College Football Playoff (CFP) as one of the New Year's Six bowls—the top six major bowl games in the national championship system—hosting one of the semifinal games every three years. During non-CFP years, the Rose Bowl reverts to its traditional Pac-12/Big Ten matchup, unless the champions from those conferences are selected to play in the College Football Playoff.
With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams in 2024, the Rose Bowl will become an annual feature of that playoff, along with the other New Year's Six bowls. Traditional conference tie-ins prior to 2024 will still try to be respected for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, but are no longer obligated to be met.
Originally titled the "Tournament East–West football game",[5] the first Rose Bowl was played on January 1, 1902, starting the tradition of New Year's Day bowl games. The football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of the Rose Parade.[6] The inaugural game featured Fielding H. Yost's dominating 1901 Michigan team, representing the East, which crushed a previously 3–1–2 team from Stanford University, representing the West, by a score of 49–0 after Stanford quit in the third quarter. Michigan finished the season 11–0 and was crowned the national champion. Yost had been Stanford's coach the previous year. The game was so lopsided that for the next thirteen years, the Tournament of Roses officials ran chariot races, ostrich races, and other various events instead of football.[7] But, on New Year's Day 1916, football returned to stay as the State College of Washington (now Washington State University) defeated Brown University in the first of what was thereafter an annual tradition.[8]
Before the Rose Bowl was built, games were played in Pasadena's Tournament Park, approximately three miles (5 km) southeast of the current Rose Bowl stadium, near the campus of Caltech. Tournament Park was found to be unsuitable for the increasingly large crowds gathering to watch the game and a new, permanent home for the game was commissioned.
The Rose Bowl stadium, designed after the Yale Bowl in New Haven, hosted its first "Rose Bowl" game on January 1, 1923. The name of the stadium was alternatively "Tournament of Roses Stadium" or "Tournament of Roses Bowl", until the name "Rose Bowl" was settled on before the 1923 game.[9]
The stadium seating has been reconfigured several times since its original construction in 1922. For many years, the Rose Bowl stadium had the largest football stadium capacity in the United States, eventually being surpassed by Michigan Stadium in 1998.[10][11] The maximum stated seating capacity was 104,594 from 1972 to 1997. Capacity was lowered after the 1998 game; the 2006 game, which was also the BCS championship game, attracted a crowd of 93,986; and there were 94,118 spectators at the 2011 game between TCU and Wisconsin.[12] As of 2012, the Rose Bowl is number seven on the list of American football stadiums by capacity with a current official seating capacity of 92,542 and is still the largest stadium that hosts post-season bowl games.[13] The Rose Bowl is also the only CFP bowl game that is held in a non-NFL stadium.
In the game's early years, except during World War I, the Rose Bowl always pitted a team—not necessarily the conference champion—from the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the predecessor of the current Pac-12 Conference, against an opponent from the Eastern U.S. During the last two years of World War I, teams from military bases met in the Rose Bowl. During its history, a number of notable matchups have been made with the top football teams and top coaches of the time. These include the 1925 game, with Knute Rockne's Notre Dame and their Four Horsemen, against "Pop" Warner's Stanford; the 1926 edition saw the Alabama Crimson Tide's win over Washington; and 1940 featured Howard Jones' USC Trojans against Bob Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers. During this period, there were ten games in which undefeated teams were matched.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and a series of attacks on West Coast shipping beginning on December 18,[14] there were concerns about a possible Japanese attack on the West Coast. The Rose Parade, with a million watchers, and the Rose Bowl, with 90,000 spectators, were presumed to be ideal targets for the Japanese. Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt recommended that the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl festivities be cancelled.[15][16][17] The Rose Bowl committee originally planned to cancel the game. On December 16, Duke University invited the game and Oregon State to Duke's home stadium in Durham, North Carolina.[18][19] After the 1942 Allied victory in the Battle of Midway and the end of the Japanese offensives in the Pacific Theater during 1942, it was deemed that a large portion of the West Coast was no longer vulnerable to attack, and the Rose Bowl Game continued on in the Rose Bowl stadium. The Tournament of Roses parade itself still was not held in 1943 because of the war.[20]
During World War II, many college football schools had dropped some conference opponents and instead played football against local military base teams. Many colleges could not even field teams because of the draft and manpower requirements.[21] After the war was over, demobilization and the G.I. Bill enabled returning servicemen to attend college. The 1946 season was the first true post-war college football season with travel restrictions lifted and civilian college opponents returning to schedules.
The Big Nine and PCC were of the same accord when it came to treating players as amateurs, as compared to the semi-professional status that the Southern Universities proposed. Also, the Big Nine and PCC both had the same attitudes towards desegregation and allowing African-Americans to play football.[22] Many other universities were still segregated. None of the Southeastern Conference schools had an African American athlete until 1966. The Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl would not be integrated until 1948, 1955, and 1956 respectively.[23]
The Big Nine agreed in 1946, after eight years of negotiating over payments, rules, and ticket allocations, to a five-year exclusive deal with the Rose Bowl to send the conference champion to meet the PCC champion.[24] UCLA, USC, Minnesota and Illinois all voted against it.[25] The 1947 Rose Bowl, with UCLA meeting Illinois, was the first game under this agreement.
When the PCC dissolved prior to the 1959 season following a pay-for-play scandal in 1958, there was no official agreement in force. The Tournament of Roses selected from the former members of PCC and invited Washington, the first champion of the newly formed Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), to play Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the 1960 Rose Bowl. The Big Ten authorized its members to accept any Rose Bowl invitation at their discretion.
The AAWU signed an agreement with the Rose Bowl that remained in force from the 1961 Rose Bowl until the advent of the BCS era in 1998. In 1962, after Minnesota changed its vote against pursuing a new agreement (resolving a 5–5 voting deadlock which had prevented any new negotiations for years), a Big Ten agreement was finalized, which went into effect with the 1963 Rose Bowl and lasted until the BCS era.
While the Big Ten supplied the "East" representative and the PCC, AAWU, or Pac-8/10 supplied the "West" representative from the 1947 Rose Bowl to the BCS era, an "exclusive" Rose Bowl agreement did not exist throughout this period. In particular, the Big Ten was not part of any agreement for at least the 1961 and 1962 games. In particular, the 1961 Big Ten champion Ohio State, declined the invitation to play in the 1962 game without penalty.[26][27][28]
The AAWU used "Big Five", "Big Six", and "Pacific-8" as unofficial nicknames (each reflecting the number of conference members). It officially adopted the "Pacific-8" name for the 1968 season. The name changed to "Pacific-10" with the arrival of Arizona and Arizona Statein1978, its last official name change prior to the formation of the BCS in 1998. The Big Ten Conference retained the same name throughout this period, even though it had eleven members by the start of the BCS era because of the addition of Penn State in 1990.
Both conferences had a "no repeat" rule in force for a number of years. Under this rule, any team that had appeared in the Rose Bowl game the previous season could not go, even if they were the conference champion. The notable exception was Minnesota playing in the 1961 and 1962 games during the period when the conference agreements were in a state of flux. Second-ranked Ohio State did not participate because its faculty council voted it down,[26][27][28] allowing Minnesota to return.[29] The PCC's rule went into effect following California's third straight defeat in 1951 and ended with conference's disbandment in the summer of 1959; it affected the 1955 and 1958 games. The Big Ten abolished their rule in 1972; it had recently affected the 1966 game. Southern California played in four consecutive Rose Bowl games from 1967to1970; Ohio State played in four straight from 1973to1976.
Both conferences also had "exclusive agreements" with the Rose Bowl game, in the sense that member schools were not allowed to play in any other bowl game. Both conferences abolished this rule before the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. As a result, Michigan and USC were allowed to play in the 1976 Orange Bowl and the 1975 Liberty Bowl, respectively.
As of the 1998 season, with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), team selection for the Rose Bowl was tied to the other three BCS bowls, although in any given year the Rose Bowl still attempted, if possible, to maintain the traditional Pac-10 (Pac-12 after the addition of Utah and Colorado in 2011) versus Big Ten format (though if the champion from either or both conference was ranked BCS #1 or #2, they were allowed into the national championship game and were replaced by another team, typically from the same conference as the team being replaced). Twice in this era, the Rose Bowl had served as the BCS championship game.
The 2002 game served as the BCS championship game between the BCS No. 1–ranked Miami, then a member of the Big East Conference, and the BCS No. 2–ranked Nebraska, then a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Nebraska selection as the BCS No. 2 team was controversial because Oregon was ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, while Nebraska was ranked No. 4 in both polls and did not play in its conference championship game (No. 3 Colorado, who would play Oregon in that year's Fiesta Bowl, did and won the Big 12's automatic bid to the BCS). This prevented a West Coast team playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time, and it also marked the first matchup since 1946 not to feature the traditional pairing of Pac-10 vs. Big Ten teams.
The 2006 Rose Bowl game featured offensive powerhouses Texas, riding a 19-game winning streak, and USC, which entered the game with a 34-game winning streak and two Heisman Trophy winners. Texas won 41–38. The game had a television viewership of 35.6 million,[30] the highest for college football contest since the 1987 Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Miami.
On two other occasions during the BCS era, Rose Bowl participation had expanded beyond the Big Ten and Pac-10. The 2003 Rose Bowl couldn't select Big Ten co-champion and automatic qualifier Ohio State, who finished No. 2 in the BCS and thus received a bid to the Fiesta Bowl to play for the national championship. The Rose Bowl was poised to select Big Ten co-champion Iowa as an at-large in order to preserve the traditional Big Ten/Pac-10 match up. However, the Orange Bowl, which selected ahead of the Rose Bowl that year, chose the Hawkeyes. As a result, the Rose Bowl featured the first appearance by Oklahoma, who faced Pac-10 Champion Washington State. The 2005 game featured Texas of the Big 12 Conference, selected, amid some controversy, over California of the Pac-10, marking the second time a West Coast team did not make the Rose Bowl. The controversy was the result of the BCS computer rankings which elevated Texas over California. Texas went on to defeat Michigan in the 2005 game, featuring a four-touchdown performance by Vince Young, foreshadowing his 467-yard performance a year later in the 2006 defeat of USC that won the National Title for Texas.
The 2004 game is also noteworthy. In this game, USC defeated Michigan, 28–14, thus earning the top ranking in the AP Poll and a share of the national championship with BCS champion LSU. USC, despite being No. 1 in the AP poll, did not qualify for the BCS championship game because of their standing in the BCS system.
The second BCS-era Rose Bowl arrangement ran from 2004 through 2014. The Big Ten and Pac-12 (the new name of the Pac-10) retained their bids, but a provision was inserted mandating that the first time that either conference could not fill their bid (because a school from the Big Ten or Pac-12 qualifies for the BCS National Championship Game), and if a non-BCS conference school qualified, the Rose Bowl was required to take that school.[31] As a result, Texas Christian University (TCU) became the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in the Rose Bowl in the BCS era. The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs finished their second consecutive regular season at 12–0, were back-to-back champions of the Mountain West Conference, and ranked No. 3 in the final BCS Poll. TCU defeated No. 5 Wisconsin 21–19 in the 2011 Rose Bowl. TCU's appearance satisfied the 'first time' clause of the agreement.
The 100th Rose Bowl Game featured a traditional pairing of Big Ten champion versus Pac-12 champion, with Michigan State playing against Stanford on January 1, 2014. Michigan State won the game, 24–20.
The Bowl Championship Series format ended with the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, played at the Rose Bowl Stadium on January 6.
The BCS was replaced by the College Football Playoff (CFP) in 2014, seeding four teams into two national semifinal games, leading to a championship game. As part of the arrangement, the Rose Bowl game was selected as a semifinal playoff game every three years. In years when the Rose Bowl is not part of the playoff, it takes the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions, unless one or both teams qualify for the playoff, in which case they are replaced by an alternate team from the same conference.
The first game under the new arrangement was played on January 1, 2015, and was known as the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. It featured the Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 Conference and the Florida State Seminoles, the first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team to participate in the Rose Bowl. Oregon defeated Florida State, 59–20, ending the Seminoles' 29-game winning streak, which dated back to the end of the 2012 season. As a result, Oregon advanced to the 2015 CFP National Championship played on January 12. The 59 points were a new Rose Bowl Game scoring record for a team.
The 2016 Rose Bowl featured Pac-12 champions Stanford against Big Ten West Division champions Iowa. Stanford defeated Iowa, 45–16, scoring 35 points in the first half, the most points ever scored in the first half of a Rose Bowl. The 2017 Rose Bowl featured Penn State of the Big Ten and USC of the Pac-12. Penn State set a record for the most points score by a losing team in a Rose Bowl, as USC won, 52–49.
In the 2018 Rose Bowl, the Georgia Bulldogs (12–1) defeated the Oklahoma Sooners (12–1), 54–48, in double overtime in a semifinal playoff game to advance to the 2018 CFP National Championship game. It was the first Rose Bowl game to go into overtime. The 2024 Rose Bowl, also a semifinal playoff game, became the second Rose Bowl game requiring overtime, as Michigan (13–0) defeated Alabama (12–1), 27–20.
In early December 2020, it was announced that the 2021 Rose Bowl, a CFP semifinal game, would be contested behind closed doors without fans, due to California Governor Gavin Newsom's orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.[32] This was met with criticism,[33] including from Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, who wanted players' families to be allowed to attend.[34] On December 19, it was reported that a request by the Tournament of Roses to the State of California, requesting a special exemption to allow some fans to attend, was denied.[35] Later that day, the CFP announced that the semifinal game would be moved from Pasadena to AT&T StadiuminArlington, Texas.[36] It was not immediately clear if the game would still be called the Rose Bowl.[37] A press release from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses stated:[38]
On December 30, the City of Pasadena and the Tournament of Roses announced that the game in Arlington could use the Rose Bowl name.[39] The only prior instance of the game being played outside of Pasadena was the 1942 edition.[35]
For many years the Rose Bowl eschewed sponsorship, but in 1999, it became "The Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T." Unlike the other bowl games, the sponsor was not added to the title of the game, but instead as a presenter.[41] In 2002 it was branded The Rose Bowl Game presented by PlayStation 2. From 2003 to 2010, after the agreement with Sony expired, the game was presented by Citi.
In June 2010, Citi decided to end sponsorship of the Rose Bowl games, including the National Championship game.[42] In October 2010, HDTV maker Vizio signed a 4-year contract to be the official sponsor of the Rose Bowl games through 2014.[43][44] After Vizio declined to renew sponsorship in 2014, financial services giant Northwestern Mutual became the new presenting sponsor.[45] From 2015 to 2020, the game was sponsored by Northwestern Mutual and officially known as the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.[46][47]
The 2021 edition, sponsored by Capital One, was officially known as the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One.[48] As the sponsor of the 2021 Orange Bowl, Capital One became the first company to sponsor two New Year's Six bowls. Capital One continued their sponsorship of the game, with the 2022 edition officially being named the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X after the company's travel rewards credit card.[49]
Prudential Financial became the new sponsor of the Rose Bowl in 2023 and will continue until the 2026 game.[50]
The Rose Bowl was first televised in 1947 on W6XYZ,[51] an experimental station in Los Angeles that would eventually become KTLA.[52] The 1952 game was the first nationally televised bowl game and the first nationally televised college game of any sport.[53] From 1952 to 1988,[54] the Rose Bowl was televised by NBC at 2 p.m. PST, and in most years was the only New Year's Day bowl airing at that time. The 1956 Rose Bowl has the highest TV rating of all college bowl games, watched by 41.1% of all people in the US with TV sets.[55] The 1962 game was the first college football game broadcast in color. Television ratings for the Rose Bowl declined as the number of bowl games increased.[55] The other bowl games also provided more compelling match-ups, with higher-ranked teams.[55] In 1988, NBC gave up the broadcast rights, as the television share dropped in 1987 below 20.[55]
From 1989to2010, the game was broadcast on ABC, usually at 2 p.m. PST.[55] The first 9-year contract in 1988 started at about $11 million, which is what NBC had been paying.[55] The 2002 Rose Bowl was the first broadcast not set at the traditional 2:00pm West Coast time.[56] The visual of the afternoon sun setting on the San Gabriel Mountains on New Year's Day is recognized as an important part of the tradition of the game.[57][58]
The 2005 edition was the first one broadcast in HDTV. Beginning in 2007, Fox had the broadcast rights to the other Bowl Championship Series games, but the Rose Bowl, which negotiated its own television contract independent of the BCS, had agreed to keep the game on ABC. Beginning with the 2010 season, ESPN (majority-owned by ABC's parent company, The Walt Disney Company) now broadcasts all the BCS/CFP games, including the Rose Bowl game.[59][60] The game is also broadcast nationally by ESPN Radio and by ESPN International for Latin America. In 2013, ESPN Deportes provided the first Spanish language telecast in the U.S. of the Rose Bowl Game.[61]
The Rose Bowl game contract with ESPN was extended on June 28, 2012, to 2026, for a reportedly $80 million per year.[62][63]
Winners appear in boldface while italics denote a tie game.
Team rankings entering games for which the Rose Bowl was designated a CFP semifinal are taken from CFP rankings. Otherwise, rankings are taken from the AP Poll (inaugurated in 1936, prior to the 1937 Rose Bowl) before each game was played.
Date played
West / Pac-12
East / Big Ten
Attendance
Notes
January 1, 1902
0
49
8,000
January 1, 1916
14
0
7,000
January 1, 1917
14
0
26,000
January 1, 1918[c]
19
7
25,000
January 1, 1919[c]
0
17
25,000
January 1, 1920
6
7
30,000
January 1, 1921
28
0
42,000
January 2, 1922
0
0
40,000
January 1, 1923
14
3
43,000
January 1, 1924
14
14
40,000
January 1, 1925
10
27
53,000
January 1, 1926
19
20
50,000
January 1, 1927
7
7
57,417
January 2, 1928
7
6
65,000
January 1, 1929
7
8
66,604
January 1, 1930
47
14
72,000
January 1, 1931
0
24
60,000
January 1, 1932
21
12
75,562
January 2, 1933
35
0
78,874
January 1, 1934
0
7
35,000
January 1, 1935
13
29
84,474
January 1, 1936
7
0
84,474
January 1, 1937
#5 Washington
0
#3 Pittsburgh
21
87,196
January 1, 1938
#2 California
13
#4 Alabama
0
90,000
January 2, 1939
#7 USC
7
#3 Duke
3
89,452
January 1, 1940
#3 USC
14
#2 Tennessee
0
92,200
January 1, 1941
#2 Stanford
21
#7 Nebraska
13
91,500
January 1, 1942
#12 Oregon State
20
#2 Duke
16
56,000[a]
January 1, 1943
#13 UCLA
0
#2 Georgia
9
93,000
January 1, 1944
29
#12 Washington
0
68,000
January 1, 1945
#7 USC
25
#12 Tennessee
0
91,000
January 1, 1946
#11 USC
14
#3 Alabama
34
93,000
January 1, 1947
#4 UCLA
14
#5 Illinois
45
90,000
January 1, 1948
#8 USC
0
#2 Michigan
49
93,000
January 1, 1949
#4 California
14
#7 Northwestern
20
93,000
January 2, 1950
#3 California
14
#6 Ohio State
17
100,963
January 1, 1951
#5 California
6
#9 Michigan
14
98,939
January 1, 1952
#7 Stanford
7
#4 Illinois
40
96,825
January 1, 1953
#5 USC
7
#11 Wisconsin
0
101,500
January 1, 1954
#5 UCLA
20
28
101,000
January 1, 1955
#17 USC
7
#1 Ohio State
20
89,191
January 2, 1956
#4 UCLA
14
17
100,809
January 1, 1957
#10 Oregon State
19
#3 Iowa
35
97,126
January 1, 1958
7
#2 Ohio State
10
98,202
January 1, 1959
#16 California
12
#2 Iowa
38
98,297
January 1, 1960
#8 Washington
44
#6 Wisconsin
8
100,809
January 2, 1961
#6 Washington
17
#1 Minnesota
7
97,314
January 1, 1962
#16 UCLA
3
#6 Minnesota
21
98,214
January 1, 1963
#1 USC
42
#2 Wisconsin
37
98,698
January 1, 1964
7
#3 Illinois
17
96,957
January 1, 1965
#8 Oregon State
7
#4 Michigan
34
100,423
January 1, 1966
#5 UCLA
14
12
100,087
January 2, 1967
13
#7 Purdue
14
100,807
January 1, 1968
#1 USC
14
#4 Indiana
3
102,946
January 1, 1969
#2 USC
16
#1 Ohio State
27
102,063
January 1, 1970
#5 USC
10
#7 Michigan
3
103,878
January 1, 1971
#12 Stanford
27
#2 Ohio State
17
103,839
January 1, 1972
#16 Stanford
13
#4 Michigan
12
103,154
January 1, 1973
#1 USC
42
#3 Ohio State
17
106,869
January 1, 1974
#7 USC
21
#4 Ohio State
42
105,267
January 1, 1975
#5 USC
18
#3 Ohio State
17
106,721
January 1, 1976
#11 UCLA
23
#1 Ohio State
10
105,464
January 1, 1977
#3 USC
14
#2 Michigan
6
106,182
January 2, 1978
#13 Washington
27
#4 Michigan
20
105,312
January 1, 1979
#3 USC
17
#5 Michigan
10
105,629
January 1, 1980
#3 USC
17
#1 Ohio State
16
105,526
January 1, 1981
#16 Washington
6
#5 Michigan
23
104,863
January 1, 1982
#12 Washington
28
#13 Iowa
0
105,611
January 1, 1983
#5 UCLA
24
#19 Michigan
14
104,991
January 2, 1984
45
#4 Illinois
9
103,217
January 1, 1985
#18 USC
20
#6 Ohio State
17
102,594
January 1, 1986
#13 UCLA
45
#4 Iowa
28
103,292
January 1, 1987
22
#4 Michigan
15
103,168
January 1, 1988
#16 USC
17
20
103,847
January 2, 1989
#5 USC
14
#11 Michigan
22
101,688
January 1, 1990
#12 USC
17
#3 Michigan
10
103,450
January 1, 1991
#8 Washington
46
#17 Iowa
34
101,273
January 1, 1992
#2 Washington
34
#4 Michigan
14
103,566
January 1, 1993
#9 Washington
31
#7 Michigan
38
94,236
January 1, 1994
#14 UCLA
16
#9 Wisconsin
21
101,237
January 2, 1995
#12 Oregon
20
#2 Penn State
38
102,247
January 1, 1996
#17 USC
41
#3 Northwestern
32
100,102
January 1, 1997
17
#4 Ohio State
20
100,635
January 1, 1998
16
#1 Michigan
21
101,219
January 1, 1999
#6 UCLA
31
#9 Wisconsin
38
93,872
January 1, 2000
#22 Stanford
9
#4 Wisconsin
17
93,731
January 1, 2001
#4 Washington
34
#14 Purdue
24
94,392
January 3, 2002BCS
#4 Nebraska
14
#1 Miami (FL)
37
93,781
January 1, 2003
14
#8 Oklahoma
34
86,848
January 1, 2004
#1 USC
28
#4 Michigan
14
93,849
January 1, 2005
#6 Texas
38
#13 Michigan
37
93,468
January 4, 2006BCS
#1 USC
38
#2 Texas
41
93,986
January 1, 2007
#8 USC
32
#3 Michigan
18
93,852
January 1, 2008
#6 USC
49
#13 Illinois
17
93,923
January 1, 2009
#5 USC
38
#6 Penn State
24
93,293
January 1, 2010
#7 Oregon
17
#8 Ohio State
26
93,963
January 1, 2011
#3 TCU
21
#4 Wisconsin
19
94,118
January 2, 2012
#6 Oregon
45
#9 Wisconsin
38
91,245
January 1, 2013
#8 Stanford
20
#23 Wisconsin
14
93,359
January 1, 2014
#5 Stanford
20
24
95,173
January 1, 2015CFP
#2 Oregon
59
20
91,322
January 1, 2016
#5 Stanford
45
#6 Iowa
16
94,268
January 2, 2017
#9 USC
52
#5 Penn State
49
95,128
January 1, 2018CFP
#2 Oklahoma
48(2OT)
#3 Georgia
54
92,844
January 1, 2019
#9 Washington
23
#5 Ohio State
28
91,853
January 1, 2020
#7 Oregon
28
#11 Wisconsin
27
90,462
January 1, 2021CFP
#1 Alabama
31
#4 Notre Dame
14
18,373[b]
January 1, 2022
#10 Utah
45
#7 Ohio State
48
87,842
January 2, 2023
#7 Utah
21
#9 Penn State
35
94,873
January 1, 2024CFP
#4 Alabama
20(OT)
#1 Michigan
27
96,371
Source:[64]
The below tables list results by teams competing as members of the Big Ten conference, Pac-12 conference, and all other participants. Included in Pac-12 results are teams who competed as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference, Pacific-8 Conference, or Pacific-10 Conference—predecessors of the Pac-12.
Updated through the January 2023 edition (109 games, 218 total appearances).
Big Ten and Pac-12 teams
Team
Conf.
Games
W
L
T
Latest
Pac
34
25
9
2017
B1G
21
9
12
2024
B1G
16
9
7
2022
Pac
15
7
7
1
2019
Pac
14
7
6
1
2016
Pac
12
5
7
1999
B1G
10
3
7
2020
Pac
8
4
4
2020
Pac
8
2
5
1
1959
B1G
6
2
4
2016
B1G
5
4
1
2014
B1G
5
3
2
2008
B1G
4
2
2
2023
Pac
3
1
2
1965
Pac
3
0
3
2003
Pac
2
1
1
1997
B1G
2
1
1
1962
B1G
2
1
1
1996
B1G
2
1
1
2001
Pac
2
0
2
2023
B1G
1
0
1
1968
Big Ten Conference
B1G
74
35
39
0
2024
Pac-12 Conference
Pac
101
52
46
3
2023
Current Big Ten teams that have not represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl are Maryland, Nebraska, and Rutgers. Current Pac-12 teams that have not represented the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl are Arizona and Colorado.
Other teams
Team
Games
W
L
T
Latest
8
5
2
1
2024
Military teams
4
2
2
1919
4
1
3
1937
2
2
0
2006
2
2
0
2018
2
1
1
2021
2
1
1
2018
2
0
2
1942
2
0
2
2002
2
0
2
1945
1
1
0
1934
1
1
0
1929
1
1
0
1920
1
1
0
2002
1
1
0
2011
1
1
0
1916
1
0
0
1
1924
1
0
0
1
1922
1
0
1
1902
1
0
1
1916
1
0
1
2015
1
0
1
1923
1
0
1
1917
1
0
1
1936
1
0
1
1932
Other teams
45
20
22
3
2024
† Some teams who are members of the Pac-12 and Big Ten made appearances while not members; thus, the following results are included in the "Other teams" table:
‡ The Southeastern Conference has one current member and two former members who made additional appearances in the Rose Bowl while those schools were not members of the SEC. Alabama made additional appearances in 1926, 1927, and 1931 before becoming a charter member of the SEC in 1932. Another SEC charter member, Georgia Tech, made an appearance in 1929, and left the SEC in 1964. Tulane, also a charter member, made an appearance in 1932, prior to the SEC's establishment in December of that year. Tulane left the SEC in 1966.
If there are any Big Ten teams that shoot for a national championship, they're damn fools ... You play to win the Big Ten championship, and if you win it and go to the Rose Bowl and win it, then you've had a great season.
— Bo Schembechler of Michigan, July 1989[65]
Among Pac-8/10/12 and Big Ten schools, the record for longest drought since a team's last Rose Bowl appearance is held by California (1959), followed by Minnesota (1962), Oregon State (1965), and Indiana (1968).
Among Pac-8/10/12 and Big Ten schools who have played in at least one Rose Bowl, the record for the longest period since a win is held jointly by Indiana and Nebraska, who have never won, followed by Washington State (1916), Cal (1939), Oregon State (1942), Northwestern (1949), and Iowa (1959). As of 2016, head coaches Howard Jones (5–0) and John Robinson (4–0) lead the list of undefeated Rose Bowl records.[66]
Archie GriffinofOhio State and Brian CushingofUSC are the only players to ever start in four Rose Bowl games. Legendary coach Woody Hayes led Ohio State to the Rose Bowl from 1973 to 1976, while USC head coach Pete Carroll led the Trojans to the Rose Bowl from 2006 to 2009.
Current members of the Pac-12 or the Big Ten to have not appeared in the Rose Bowl are Arizona (who joined the then-Pac-10 in 1978) and Colorado (who joined the Pac-12 in 2011), and Maryland and Rutgers (who both joined the Big Ten in 2014), though California appeared in the Rose Bowl only as a member of a predecessor league to the Pac-12.[67] Similar to Cal, Nebraska played in the 1941 and 2002 games, but was not a member of the Big Ten Conference at these times. Idaho and Montana, who were members of the Pacific Coast Conference from 1922 until 1958 and 1950 respectively, never finished near the top in the PCC football standings. Former Big Ten member Chicago withdrew from the league prior to the bowl arrangement being set.
USC has played the most Big Ten schools in the Rose Bowl. As of 2016, the only opponents remaining for the Trojans are Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the two newest Big Ten schools that have yet to appear in the Rose Bowl: Maryland and Rutgers. Ohio State and Michigan are tied for playing the most schools in the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl. The remaining opponents for the Buckeyes are Oregon State, Washington State, and the two Pac-12 schools that have yet to appear in the Rose Bowl: Arizona and Colorado. The remaining opponents for the Wolverines other than Arizona and Colorado are Oregon and Utah.
The most frequent Rose Bowl matchup is USC vs Michigan, occurring for the eighth time in 2007, with USC holding a 6–2 advantage (including rare meetings outside the Rose Bowl, USC leads this series 6–4). The next most frequent matchup is USC–Ohio State, occurring for the seventh time in 1985, with USC holding a 4–3 advantage.
Matchups that have occurred more than once:
# of Times
West / Pac-12
East / Big Ten
Record
Years played
8
USC
Michigan
USC, 6–2
1948, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2007
7
USC
Ohio State
USC, 4–3
1955, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1985
4
Washington
Michigan
Tied, 2–2
1978, 1981, 1992, 1993
3
USC
Penn State
USC, 3–0
1923, 2009, 2017
3
UCLA
Michigan State
Michigan State, 2–1
1954, 1956, 1966
2
Stanford
Michigan
Tied, 1–1
1902, 1972
2
California
Ohio State
Tied, 1–1
1921, 1950
2
Stanford
Alabama
Alabama, 1–0–1
1927, 1935
2
USC
Pittsburgh
USC, 2–0
1930, 1933
2
USC
Tennessee
USC, 2–0
1940, 1945
2
UCLA
Illinois
Tied, 1–1
1947, 1984
2
USC
Wisconsin
USC, 2–0
1953, 1963
2
Oregon
Ohio State
Ohio State, 2–0
1958, 2010
2
Washington
Iowa
Washington, 2–0
1982, 1991
2
UCLA
Wisconsin
Wisconsin, 2–0
1994, 1999
2
Stanford
Wisconsin
Tied, 1–1
2000, 2013
2
Oregon
Wisconsin
Oregon, 2–0
2012, 2020
No. 1 ranked teams at the end of the regular season that have played in the Rose Bowl game are listed below:
Of the 24 bowl rematches of regular season games, five have taken place in the Rose Bowl. In three of those instances, the same team won both the regular season game and the Rose Bowl Game. UCLA won three of those five Rose Bowl games, including both instances in which a different team lost the regular season game but won the Rose Bowl Game.
Beginning with the 1947 Rose Bowl, the Pacific Coast representative was the home team, and the Big Nine representative was the visitor. This arrangement would alternate each year. The stadium seating started with the Big Nine representatives in the end zone, but eventually was set with the Big Ten fans and team on the West (press box) side, and Pacific-10 fans and team on the East side. The home team wears their darkest home jerseys, and the visiting team wears the white visiting jerseys. There have been exceptions to the uniform arrangement: UCLA wore their home jerseys, light blue, in the 1962, 1966, and 1976 Rose Bowl games, with the Big Ten opponent also wearing their home uniforms.
From 1947 through 2001, the Big Ten team was the home team in odd-numbered years, and the Pac-10 team was the home team in even-numbered years. In 2003, Washington State was the home team, as a non-Big Ten or Pac-10 school (Oklahoma of the Big 12) was the opponent; the same applied in 2005, when Michigan played another Big 12 school, Texas.
Beginning with the 2002 Rose Bowl, Nebraska was home, with team and fans on the East sideline. From 2006 through 2013, the home team had been the team with the highest BCS season ending ranking. For the 2005 Rose Bowl, the Michigan team was on the East sideline; Texas was the visiting team and was on the West sideline. For the 2006 Rose Bowl, USC was the home team and Texas was the visiting team on the West sideline. Traditionally, the Big Ten (or its BCS replacement) is on the West side (press box) and the Pac-12 team is on the East side.
During the BCS era, the institution with the higher BCS ranking performed the national anthem, and performed first at halftime. With the exception of BCS championship years, the National Anthem was performed by the band. In BCS Championship years, a performer was invited to sing the Anthem, the last being LeAnn Rimes in 2006. The Rose Bowl does not have other performers (including notable recording artists) during the halftime show besides the school marching bands. As part of the television contract, a portion of each band's halftime performance is shown on television. Each school and each conference are allocated television spots to advertise. For the 100th game on January 1, 2014, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill and Darlene Love sang the national anthem in honor of the song's 200th anniversary. This was the first time in Rose Bowl history that the anthem was performed by singers rather than by a marching band.[68] Today, the institution with the higher ranking by the CFP selection committee performs the national anthem and performs first at halftime.
The coin toss was traditionally presented by the grand marshal of the Rose Parade or the president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association (if the grand marshal was unable to attend the game).
The Rose Bowl's most valuable player is presented the Player of the Game award.[69] The Helms Athletic Foundation created the honor, which was first awarded in the 1940s.[70] Helms executive director Bill Schroeder polled a Helms Hall Board composed of sportswriters to make the selection.[70][69] The modern award selection continues to be made in collaboration with the national media covering the game.[69]
Player of the Game honors were also awarded retroactively back to the 1902 Rose Bowl.[70][69]
Occasionally, the award has been shared by two players. Four players have been named the Player of the Game of more than one Rose Bowl: Bob Schloredt, Washington (1960, 1961), Charles White, USC (1979, 1980), Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (1999, 2000), and Vince Young, Texas (2005, 2006).
Position
Michigan
FB
Carl Dietz
Washington State
FB
Oregon
T
Hollis Huntington
Mare Island
FB
Great Lakes
E
Harvard
HB
California
E
Washington & Jefferson
T
USC
G
Ira McKee
Navy
QB
Notre Dame
FB
Stanford
FB
Alabama
HB
Washington
HB
Alabama
T
Stanford
FB
California
HB
USC
QB
John "Monk" Campbell
Alabama
QB
USC
HB
Homer Griffith
USC
QB
Columbia
QB
Alabama
HB
Stanford
E
Keith Topping
E
Pittsburgh
E
California
HB
Doyle Nave
USC
QB
E
QB
Stanford
HB
Oregon State
HB
Georgia
HB
Norman Verry
USC
G
QB
Alabama
HB
Illinois
HB
HB
Michigan
HB
Northwestern
HB
Ohio State
FB
Michigan
FB
Illinois
HB
USC
QB
Michigan State
HB
Ohio State
QB
Michigan State
HB
Iowa
QB
Oregon
QB
Iowa
HB
Washington
QB
HB
QB
Minnesota
QB
USC
QB
Wisconsin
QB
Illinois
FB
Michigan
FB
UCLA
DB
Purdue
DB
USC
TB
Ohio State
QB
USC
FL
Stanford
QB
QB
USC
FB
Ohio State
QB
USC
QB
SE
UCLA
QB
USC
QB
Washington
QB
USC
TB
Michigan
QB
USC
TB
Michigan
RB
Washington
RB
UCLA
FS
QB
QB
Tim Green
USC
QB
LB
UCLA
TB
Arizona State
QB
Michigan State
LB
Michigan
FB
USC
TB
Washington
QB
DT
QB
Michigan
RB
Wisconsin
RB
Oregon
QB
Penn State
RB
USC
WR
Ohio State
QB
Michigan
QB
Wisconsin
RB
Washington
QB
Miami
QB
WR
Oklahoma
QB
USC
QB
Beginning with the 2005 Rose Bowl, Player of the Game awards have been given to both an offensive and defensive player.
Game
PotG — Offense[71]
Team
Position
PotG — Defense[71]
Team
Position
Texas
QB
Michigan
LB
Texas
S
USC
WR
USC
OLB
QB
LB
QB
LB
Ohio State
QB
Oregon
DE
TCU
QB
TCU
LB
Oregon
WR
Oregon
LB
Stanford
RB
Usua Amanam
Stanford
DB
Michigan State
QB
Kyler Elsworth
Michigan State
LB
Oregon
QB
Oregon
LB
Stanford
RB
Stanford
DE
USC
QB
USC
DT
Georgia
RB
Georgia
LB
Ohio State
QB
Brendon White
Ohio State
S
Oregon
QB
Brady Breeze
Oregon
S
Alabama
WR
Alabama
CB
Ohio State
WR
Ohio State
LB
Penn State
QB
Penn State
S
Michigan
QB
Michigan
DT
Team
Performance vs. opponent
Year
Most points scored
59, Oregon vs. Florida State (21)
2015
Most points scored (losing team)
49, Penn State vs. USC (52)
2017
Most points scored (both teams)
102, Georgia (54) vs. Oklahoma (48)
2018
Most points scored in a half
41 (second half), Oregon vs. Florida State
2015
Most points scored in a half (both teams)
56, shared by:
(first half), Oregon vs. Wisconsin
(first half), Utah vs. Ohio State
2012
2022
Fewest points allowed
0, Washington vs. Iowa (tied with 17 others)
1982
Largest margin of victory
49, shared by:
Michigan (49) vs. Stanford (0)
Michigan (49) vs. USC (0)
1902
1948
First downs
33, USC vs Penn State
2017
Rushing yards
503, Michigan vs. Stanford
1902
Passing yards
573, Ohio State vs. Utah
2022
Total yards
683, Ohio State vs. Utah
2022
Individual
Performance, team vs. opponent
Year
Total offense
583, C. J. Stroud, Ohio State vs Utah
2022
Touchdowns
6, C. J. Stroud, Ohio State vs Utah
2022
Rushing yards
247, Charles White, USC vs. Ohio State (39 attempts, 1 TD)
1980
Rushing TDs
5, Neil Snow, Michigan vs. Stanford
1902
Passing yards
573, C. J. Stroud, Ohio State vs Utah (37-46-1, 6 TD)
2022
Passing TDs
6, C. J. Stroud, Ohio State vs Utah
2022
Receptions
15, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State vs Utah
2022
Receiving yards
347, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State vs Utah
2022
Receiving TDs
3, Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State vs Utah (tied with 3 others)
2022
All-purpose Yards
368, Christian McCaffrey, Stanford vs. Iowa
2016
Tackles
17, John Boyett, Oregon vs. Wisconsin (tied with 1 other)
2012
Sacks
3, Kenny Rowe, Oregon vs. Ohio State (tied with 3 others)
2010
Interceptions
3, Bill Paulman, Stanford vs. SMU (tied with 1 other)
1936
Long plays
Performance, team vs. opponent
Year
Touchdown run
91, De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon vs. Wisconsin
2012
Touchdown pass
88, Sean Clifford to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Penn State vs. Utah
2023
Kickoff return
103, Al Hoisch, UCLA vs. Illinois (TD)
1947
Punt return
86, Aramis Dandoy, USC vs. Ohio State (TD)
1955
Interception return
78, Elmer Layden, Notre Dame vs. Stanford (TD)
1925
Fumble return
58, Tony Washington, Oregon vs. Florida State (TD)
2015
Punt
73, Don Bracken, Michigan vs. Washington
1981
Field goal
55, Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia vs. Oklahoma
2018
Note: When there is a tie, the most recent one will be listed.
Inductees (by year)[75]
The Rose Bowl Game All-Century Class was announced on December 28, 2013.[81]
They are:
In addition to being named as All-Century representatives for their respective decades, John McKay and Archie Griffin were named the 100th Rose Bowl Game All-Century Coach and Player respectively.
The finalists:
Instead, the "Granddaddy of Them All" will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the NFL's Cowboys, on Jan. 1. The move was announced the same day it was reported that Rose Bowl organizers were denied a special exception by the state of California to allow fans into the stadium. The Tournament of Roses announced in early December that the game would be held without spectators.
the CFP semifinal game previously scheduled to be played at the Rose Bowl Stadium will now be played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas
History & conference tie-ins
Games
Floats
Rose Bowl
Other
† Automatic qualifier if ranked in top eight
Overview
Games
Other
Championship games for each season are played in January, as well as the Rose Bowl semifinal and the Sugar Bowl semifinal
Other bowl games
All-Star games
Events
Sports
Parades
Television
Music
Related
Miscellaneous
Authority control databases: National 
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