| 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 12, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | AT&T Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Arlington, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offensive: #15 RB Ezekiel Elliott, So. Ohio State Defensive: #23 S Tyvis Powell, So. Ohio State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Oregon by 7[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Lady Antebellum[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Greg Burks (Big 12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 85,689 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN[4][5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi (ESPN) Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega (ESPN Deportes) Mike Tirico, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe and Joe Schad (ESPN Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 18.9 (33.4 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship, which replaced the BCS National Championship Game, the game determined a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2014 season. Aside from the all-star games following after, this was the culminating game of the 2014–15 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T. The national title was contested through a four-team bracket system, the College Football Playoff, which replaced the previous Bowl Championship Series.[6]
The game was played between the winners of two designated semi-final bowl games played on January 1, 2015: the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes, who upset No. 1 Alabama 42–35 in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, and the No. 2 Oregon Ducks, who defeated previously unbeaten No. 3 Florida State 59–20 in the 2015 Rose Bowl. This was the first championship game since 2006 that did not feature at least one SEC team, and the teams' first meeting since the 2010 Rose Bowl, which the Buckeyes won 26–17.
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the game, 42–20, marking the first national championship awarded under the CFP system. Following the game, the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll also named Ohio State as their top team of the season, marking Ohio State's first national championship since 2002 and their 8th overall.[7][8] Following the game, the next national championship game to not feature a team from the SEC was the 2024 edition of the championship.
- ^ "SportsCenter on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
- ^ "College Football Las Vegas Sportsbook Odds, NCAA Football Sports Betting Lines and Point Spreads at VegasInsider.com". VegasInsider.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Troy L. (January 12, 2015). "Lady Antebellum to sing national anthem at tonight's college football championship game". cleveland.com. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ Keri Potts (December 29, 2014). "New Year's Six Bowls and College Football Playoff on ESPN Networks: A Recap". ESPN MediaZone. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ Gabriela Nunez (December 22, 2014). "ESPN Deportes Airs Inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinals and National Championship". ESPN MediaZone. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett (October 4, 2013). "Arlington to host title game". ESPN. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "Final 2014 Associated Press poll has Alabama in top five as Ohio State claims title". AL.com. January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ^ "Final 2014 football coaches poll includes another top-5 finish for Alabama". AL.com. January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.