2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season
| 2014 NCAA Division I FBS season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Number of teams | 125 full members + 3 transitional |
| Duration | August 27 – December 13 |
| Preseason AP No. 1 | Florida State Seminoles |
| Post-season | |
| Duration | December 20, 2014 – January 12, 2015 |
| Bowl games | 39 |
AP Poll No. 1 | Ohio State Buckeyes[1] |
Coaches Poll No. 1 | Ohio State Buckeyes[2] |
| Heisman Trophy | Marcus Mariota, Oregon |
| College Football Playoff | |
| 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship | |
| Site | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas |
| Winner | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| Division I FBS football seasons | |
← 2013 2015 → | |
The 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 27, 2014 and ended on December 13, 2014. The postseason concluded on January 12, 2015 with the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 2014 season marked a major change to the postseason with the introduction of the College Football Playoff, a four-team knockout tournament to determine the national champion of Division I FBS. The College Football Playoff system replaced the Bowl Championship Series, which had been in use since 1998.
Ohio State beat Oregon to claim the first ever FBS (formerly Division I-A) national title awarded using a playoff system. Following the game, Ohio State was named the #1 team in the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll for the season, making the Buckeyes consensus national champions among the major polls.[1][2]
Contents
1 Rule changes
2 Conference realignment
2.1 Membership changes
3 Other headlines
4 Updated stadiums
4.1 New stadiums
4.2 Renovated stadiums
4.3 Other
5 Conference standings
6 Conference summaries
6.1 Power 5 Conferences
6.2 Group of Five Conferences
7 Bowl eligibility
7.1 Bowl-eligible teams
7.2 Bowl-eligible teams that did not receive a berth
7.3 Bowl-ineligible teams
8 Postseason
8.1 Conference performance in bowl games
9 Rankings
9.1 Final CFP rankings
9.2 Final rankings
10 Awards and honors
10.1 Heisman Trophy
10.2 Other overall
10.3 Special overall
10.4 Offense
10.5 Defense
10.6 Special teams
10.7 Coaches
10.7.1 Assistants
10.8 All-Americans
11 Coaching changes
12 Television viewers and ratings
12.1 Most watched regular season games
12.2 Kickoff games
12.3 Conference championship games
12.4 College Football Playoff
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
Rule changes
The following rule changes have been made by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2014 season:[3]
- Modifying the "targeting" rule enacted for the 2013 season whereby if a targeting ejection is overturned on review, the 15 yard penalty will be overturned as well, unless the foul was committed in conjunction with another foul (such as an above-the-shoulders hit on a quarterback not deemed as targeting, a roughing the passer penalty would still apply).
- Targeting definition expanded from "Initiate contact" to "Make forcible contact" and defining that any forcible contact with the crown of the helmet to an opponent is a targeting foul.
- Allowing all conferences the option to experiment with eight-man officiating crews. The Big 12 Conference experimented with eight-man officiating crews during the 2013 season. The eighth official is referred to as the "Center Judge", positioned opposite the Referee in the offensive backfield, and wears a "C" on the shirt. In 2014, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference, and the American Athletic Conference used eight-official crews. The Southeastern Conference experimented with eight officials in selected games in the 2014 season. The Pac-12 Conference made no plans to implement eight-official crews. The eight-man crews were used in bowl games (including the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship) if one of the conferences (Big 12, Big 10, ACC, MW, or American) provided a crew for a particular game.[4]
- Modifying the 15-yard Roughing the Passer penalty to include hits (including lunging and/or rolling) at or below the knees from defenders that are not fouled/blocked into the quarterback, not engaged in tackling the quarterback, or are rushing unabated to the quarterback (similar to the NFL's "Tom Brady" Rule adopted in the 2009 NFL Season).
A rule meant to slow down the hurry-up offense by preventing teams from snapping the ball within the first ten seconds of the 40-second play clock to allow for defensive substitutions, or be penalized five yards for delay of game (except within the final 2:00 of each half or when the play clock is set to 25 seconds) was tabled by the Rules Committee and not voted on.[5]
Conference realignment
Membership changes
Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion moved from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to FBS. 2014 was expected to be the final season for UAB football, who dropped their program at the conclusion of the season due to financial reasons. The UAB football program later restarted in 2017.[6]
| School | Former conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
Appalachian State | Southern Conference (FCS) | Sun Belt |
East Carolina | Conference USA | The American |
Georgia Southern | Southern Conference (FCS) | Sun Belt |
Idaho | FBS independent | Sun Belt |
Louisville | The American | ACC |
Maryland | ACC | Big Ten |
New Mexico State | FBS independent | Sun Belt |
Old Dominion | FCS independent | Conference USA |
Rutgers | The American | Big Ten |
Tulane | Conference USA | The American |
Tulsa | Conference USA | The American |
Western Kentucky | Sun Belt | Conference USA |
Other headlines
- May 14
- The NCAA announces its Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions for the 2014–15 school year. Two FBS teams, Idaho and UNLV, are among the 36 programs in 11 sports declared ineligible for postseason play due to failure to meet the required APR benchmark.[7]
Boise State announces that it has received a waiver from the NCAA allowing the school to immediately provide assistance to incoming freshman recruit Antoine Turner, a defensive end originally from New Orleans who had been homeless due to financial and family issues.[8]
- June 26 – UNLV announced that the school would be eligible for post season after the upcoming season, they stated that the NCAA had accepted an updated Academic Progress Rate score submitted by the university.[9]
- September 8 – The NCAA restores Penn State's postseason eligibility effective immediately, and full complement of 85 scholarships effective with the 2015 season. This means Penn State can qualify for a bowl game for the 2014 season. Penn State was originally banned from postseason play from 2012–2015 because of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.[10]
- October 4
- For the first time since Week 11 of the 1990 season,[11] four teams ranked in the top six of the AP Poll lose during the week. Additionally, five of the top eight of the AP Poll lose in the same week for the first time ever.[12] The week's upsets began on Thursday, when #2 Oregon lost 31–24 at home to Arizona. Saturday saw #3 Alabama lose 23–17 at #11 Ole Miss, #4 Oklahoma lose 37–33 at #25 TCU, #6 Texas A&M lose 48–31 at #12 Mississippi State, and #8 UCLA lose 30–28 at home to Utah.[11]
Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday seta a new FBS record for single-game passing yards, throwing for 734 yards in a 60–59 loss to Cal. This breaks the previous record of 716, set in 1990 by Houston's David Klingler, and is five short of the all-divisions NCAA record of 739 set by Sam Durley of Division III Eureka in 2012. In the same game, Cal's Jared Goff throws for 527 yards, giving the two teams an FBS-record 1,261 passing yards in the game.[13]
- October 12 – The release of the Week 8 AP Poll sees Mississippi State, previously tied for #3 with cross-state rival Ole Miss, leapfrog Florida State to reach #1 for the first time in school history. Mississippi State had just beaten #2 Auburn at home by a score of 38–23, the Bulldogs' third straight over a team then ranked in the top 10. Most significantly, the Bulldogs became the first team in the history of the AP Poll to go from unranked to #1 in five weeks, surpassing the previous record of six weeks set by Ohio State in 1954.[14]
- October 18 – Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato throws for four touchdowns in the Thundering Herd's 45–13 win at FIU, giving him a touchdown pass in 39 consecutive games. This breaks a tie for the FBS record with Russell Wilson, who threw for TDs in 38 consecutive games while at NC State and Wisconsin.[15] Cato went on to finish the season and his Marshall career in the Boca Raton Bowl with a streak of 46 games, tying the all-divisions NCAA record of Central Washington's Mike Reilly.[16]
- November 16 – Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon sets a new FBS record with 408 rushing yards in the Badgers' 59–24 win over Nebraska. The previous record of 406 yards had been set by TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson in 1999.[17]
- November 22 – Melvin Gordon's single-game FBS rushing record, which had been set less than a week earlier, is broken by Oklahoma's Samaje Perine, who runs for 427 yards in the Sooners' 44–7 win over Kansas.[18]
- November 29 – Louisville safety Gerod Holliman intercepts his 14th pass of the season, tying the single-season FBS record set in 1968 by Washington's Al Worley. The interception in the final minute sealed the Cardinals' 44–40 win over archrival Kentucky.[19]
- November 30 – Police in Columbus, Ohio discover the body of Kosta Karageorge, a wrestler at Ohio State who had walked on to the football team but had yet to appear in a game. Karageorge, who disappeared on November 26, was found with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been complaining about post-concussion symptoms in the last weeks of his life.[20]
- December 2 – UAB announces that it will drop football at the end of the season. The Blazers, under first-year head coach Bill Clark, became bowl-eligible for only the second time in program history with a win on November 29 over Southern Miss. UAB becomes the first FBS-level program to fold since Pacific dropped football after the 1995 season.[21]
- December 5 – The board of governors of Colorado State approves the construction of a new on-campus stadium to replace the Rams' current off-campus home of Hughes Stadium. No date for completion had been set; potential capacities range from 35,872 to 41,200.[22] The venue would open in 2017 as Colorado State Stadium with the full 41,200 capacity.
- December 8 – Sporting News reports that the Big 12 Conference had been planning to expand beyond its current ten teams even before being left out of the inaugural College Football Playoff. Specifically, conference officials met with officials from the University of Cincinnati.[23] These expansions plans were later dropped.
Updated stadiums
New stadiums
Baylor opened McLane Stadium, returning home games to its campus for the first time since 1935. The stadium opened with 42,000 permanent seats plus 3,000 standing-room places, and is designed for future expansion to 55,000. The first game was a high school contest on August 29;[24] Baylor's first game was a 45–0 win over SMU on August 31.[25]
Houston opened TDECU Stadium, a 40,000-seat venue, designed to be easily expandable to 60,000, and built on the site of the school's former Robertson Stadium. The opening game was a 27–7 loss to UTSA on August 29.[26]
Tulane opened Yulman Stadium, a 30,000-seat on-campus venue located near the former site of Tulane Stadium. This returned home games to the Tulane campus for the first time since 1974, the year before the Superdome opened. The first game was a 38–21 loss to Georgia Tech on September 6.[27]
The three schools that moved from FCS to FBS this season use existing on-campus stadiums:
Appalachian State plays at Kidd Brewer Stadium, home to the Mountaineers since 1962 and affectionately known to the school's fans as "The Rock". It has an official capacity of 24,050, but has frequently hosted significantly larger crowds, with the record being 31,531.
Georgia Southern plays at Paulson Stadium, home to the Eagles since 1984. The stadium was expanded to 24,300 for GSU's move to FBS.
Old Dominion plays at Foreman Field. The 20,118-seat stadium first opened in 1936 for the football program of what was then known as the Norfolk Division of The College of William & Mary. After football was dropped after the 1941 season, the stadium was used for other football games (notably the former Oyster Bowl), plus other ODU sports, until the school reinstated football in 2009.
Renovated stadiums
LSU opened a new south end-zone upper deck expansion of Tiger Stadium that added approximately 60 "Tiger Den" suites, 3,000 club seats and 1,500 general public seats and brought the total capacity to approximately 102,321, making it the seventh-largest college football stadium in the country.
Ohio State added 2,500 seats to the south stands of Ohio Stadium. These seats, built over the entrance tunnels, raised the official capacity of the stadium to 104,851, making it the third-largest stadium in the country and the fifth-largest stadium in the world.
Texas A&M opened Phase 1 of a major three-year renovation of Kyle Field, which includes re-construction of the east side first deck, and construction of the south end zone, which in turn includes seating, media interview areas, 12th Man Productions and related gameday support, a commissary and recruiting area.
Mississippi State opened a new north end-zone expansion of Davis Wade Stadium which took stadium capacity from 55,000 to over 61,000. The renovation created new concessions and restrooms, plus a new west side concourse.
Missouri opened a new east side expansion of Faurot Field. An upper bowl was completed for the east side of the stadium, providing 5,200 general admission seats and 800 club seats.
Louisiana-Lafayette enclosed the south side of Cajun Field. The stadium upgrade added 5,900 seats increasing the capacity from 31,000 to 36,900.
Purdue removed the majority of their south end-zone bleachers at Ross–Ade Stadium and replaced it with a patio area. This stadium upgrade lowered the stadium capacity from 62,500 to 57,236.- The Rose Bowl opened the final phase of its multi-year renovation project, which included the removal of seats on the east and west sidelines to restore the original oval shape of the seating bowl. Also included in the project were additional new restrooms, new entry gate structures, and additional new concession stands. The historic hedges surrounding the field were restored to create a new "Rose Garden Walkway". An iconic plaza opened outside of Gate A in front of the south main entrance to the stadium, featuring a large logo of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.
Other
Eastern Michigan installed a gray FieldTurf playing surface at Rynearson Stadium. The stadium is only the second FBS venue with a non-traditional field color, after Albertsons Stadium at Boise State, and the sixth college stadium overall with this feature.[28]
Conference standings
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Conference summaries
Rankings reflect the Week 15 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.
Power 5 Conferences
| Conference | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACC | #2 Florida State CFP | #12 Georgia Tech | 37–35 | James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh (Player of the Year)[29] | Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson[29] | Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech[30] |
Big 12 | #5 Baylor #4 TCU | N/A | N/A | Trevone Boykin, TCU | Paul Dawson, TCU | Gary Patterson, TCU |
Big Ten | #6 Ohio State CFP | #11 Wisconsin | 59–0 | Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin[31] | Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State[31] | Jerry Kill, Minnesota (coaches and media)[31] |
Pac-12 | #3 Oregon CFP | #8 Arizona | 51–13 | Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon | Scooby Wright III, LB, Arizona | Rich Rodriguez, Arizona |
SEC | #1 Alabama CFP | #14 Missouri | 42–13 | Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (AP, Coaches)[32] | Shane Ray, DE, Missouri (AP, Coaches)[32] | Dan Mullen, Mississippi State (AP)[32] Gary Pinkel, Missouri (Coaches) |
Group of Five Conferences
Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.
| Conference | Champion | Runner Up | Score | Record | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AAC | Memphis UCF Cincinnati | N/A | N/A | Memphis 9-3 Cincinnati 9-3 UCF 9-3 | Shane Carden, QB, East Carolina[33] | Jacoby Glenn, CB, UCF & Tank Jakes, LB, Memphis[33] | Justin Fuente, Memphis[33] |
C-USA | Marshall | Louisiana Tech | 26–23 | Marshall 12-1 | Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky (MVP)[34] Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall (Offensive POY)[34] | Neville Hewitt, LB, Marshall[34] | Doc Holliday, Marshall[35] |
MAC | Northern Illinois | Bowling Green | 51–17 | Northern Illinois 11-2 | Jarvion Franklin, RB, Western Michigan[36] | Quinten Rollins, DB, Miami (OH) | P. J. Fleck, Western Michigan |
MW | #22 Boise State | Fresno State | 28–14 | Boise State 11-2 | Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State[37] | Zach Vigil, LB, Utah State[37] | Jim McElwain, Colorado State[37] |
Sun Belt | Georgia Southern | N/A | N/A | Georgia Southern 8-3* | Elijah McGuire, RB, Louisiana–Lafayette[38] | David Mayo, LB, Texas State[38] | Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern[38] |
CFP College Football Playoff participant
* On July 22, 2016, Georgia Southern announced that it had been ordered by the NCAA to vacate two wins from the 2013 season and one win from the 2014 season as punishment for fielding academically ineligible student athletes during those games. The ruling does not affect Georgia Southern's 2014 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship.[39]
Bowl eligibility
Bowl-eligible teams
American (6): Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Temple, UCF
ACC (11): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech
Big 12 (7): Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, West Virginia
Big Ten (10): Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Conference USA (7): Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Rice, UAB, UTEP, Western Kentucky
Independents (3): BYU, Navy, Notre Dame
MAC (6): Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West (7): Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State
Pac-12 (8): Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington
SEC (12): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Sun Belt (4): 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
Ohio, Texas State, Temple, UAB, Middle Tennessee
Bowl-ineligible teams
American (5): Connecticut, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, USF
ACC (3): Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest
Big Ten (4): Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue
Big 12 (3): Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech
Conference USA (6): FIU, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Old Dominion†, Southern Miss, UTSA
Independents (1): Army
MAC (7): Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Massachusetts, Miami (OH)
Mountain West (5): Hawai'i, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming
Pac 12 (4): California, Colorado, Oregon State, Washington State
SEC (2): Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Sun Belt (7): Appalachian State†, Georgia Southern†, Georgia State, Idaho‡, Louisiana–Monroe, New Mexico State, Troy
Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 47
† – Appalachian State (7–5), Georgia Southern (9–3, Sun Belt champions), and Old Dominion (6–6) were conditionally eligible based on win/loss record. However, under FCS-to-FBS transition rules, they are 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.
Postseason
Starting with the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games will host two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For this season, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will host the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.[40]
| Semifinals | 2015 Championship Game | |||||||
| January 1 – Sugar Bowl | ||||||||
| 1 | Alabama | 35 | | |||||
| 4 | Ohio State | 42 | January 12 – National Championship | |||||
| | | 4 | Ohio State | 42 | ||||
| January 1 – Rose Bowl | | 2 | Oregon | 20 | ||||
| | ||||||||
| 2 | Oregon | 59 | ||||||
| 3 | Florida State | 20 | | |||||
Conference performance in bowl games
| Conference | Total games | Wins | Losses | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 |
| ACC | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 |
| Big Ten | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 |
| Pac-12 | 9 | 6 | 3 | .667 |
| Big 12 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 |
| MW | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 |
| American | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| C-USA | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 |
| MAC | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
| Independents | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| Sun Belt | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
Rankings
Final CFP rankings
CFP | School | Record | Bowl Game |
| 1 | Alabama | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl |
| 2 | Oregon | 12–1 | Rose Bowl |
| 3 | Florida State | 13–0 | Rose Bowl |
| 4 | Ohio State | 12–1 | Sugar Bowl |
| 5 | Baylor | 11–1 | Cotton Bowl |
| 6 | TCU | 11–1 | Peach Bowl |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 10–2 | Orange Bowl |
| 8 | Michigan State | 10–2 | Cotton Bowl |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 9–3 | Peach Bowl |
| 10 | Arizona | 10–3 | Fiesta Bowl |
| 11 | Kansas State | 9–3 | Alamo Bowl |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 10–3 | Orange Bowl |
| 13 | Georgia | 9–3 | Belk Bowl |
| 14 | UCLA | 9–3 | Alamo Bowl |
| 15 | Arizona State | 9–3 | Sun Bowl |
| 16 | Missouri | 10–3 | Citrus Bowl |
| 17 | Clemson | 9–3 | Russell Athletic Bowl |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 10–3 | Outback Bowl |
| 19 | Auburn | 8–4 | Outback Bowl |
| 20 | Boise State | 11–2 | Fiesta Bowl |
| 21 | Louisville | 9–3 | Belk Bowl |
| 22 | Utah | 8–4 | Las Vegas Bowl |
| 23 | LSU | 8–4 | Music City Bowl |
| 24 | USC | 8–4 | Holiday Bowl |
| 25 | Minnesota | 8–4 | Citrus Bowl |
Final rankings
| Rank | Associated Press | Coaches' Poll |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 2 | Oregon | Oregon |
| 3 | TCU | TCU |
| 4 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 5 | Florida State | Michigan State |
| 6 | Michigan State | Florida State |
| 7 | Baylor | Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | Baylor |
| 9 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 10 | UCLA | UCLA |
| 11 | Mississippi State | Missouri |
| 12 | Arizona State | Mississippi State |
| 13 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| 14 | Missouri | Arizona State |
| 15 | Clemson | Clemson |
| 16 | Boise State | Boise State |
| 17 | Ole Miss | Arizona |
| 18 | Kansas State | Kansas State |
| 19 | Arizona | Ole Miss |
| 20 | USC | Utah |
| 21 | Utah | USC |
| 22 | Auburn | Marshall |
| 23 | Marshall | Auburn |
| 24 | Louisville | Louisville |
| 25 | Memphis | Memphis |
Unlike the BCS, the Coaches' Poll is not contractually obligated to name the CFP champion as its #1 team.[41][2][1]
Awards and honors
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.
| Player | School | Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Mariota | Oregon | QB | 788 | 74 | 22 | 2,534 |
| Melvin Gordon | Wisconsin | RB | 37 | 432 | 275 | 1,250 |
| Amari Cooper | Alabama | WR | 49 | 280 | 316 | 1,023 |
| Trevone Boykin | TCU | QB | 8 | 45 | 104 | 218 |
| J.T. Barrett | Ohio State | QB | 0 | 19 | 40 | 78 |
| Jameis Winston | Florida State | QB | 4 | 10 | 19 | 51 |
| Tevin Coleman | Indiana | RB | 2 | 8 | 22 | 44 |
| Dak Prescott | Mississippi State | QB | 2 | 4 | 28 | 42 |
| Scooby Wright III | Arizona | LB | 0 | 4 | 13 | 21 |
| Bryce Petty | Baylor | QB | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
Other overall
Archie Griffin Award (MVP): Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
AP Player of the Year: Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Chic Harley Award (Player of the Year): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Maxwell Award (top player): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
SN Player of the Year: Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Walter Camp Award (top player): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Special overall
Burlsworth Trophy (top player who began as walk-on): Justin Hardy, East Carolina[42]
Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player): Shaq Thompson, Washington
Campbell Trophy ("academic Heisman"): David Helton, Duke
Wuerffel Trophy (humanitarian-athlete): Deterrian Shackelford, Ole Miss
Offense
Quarterback
Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Johnny Unitas Award (senior/4th year quarterback): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Kellen Moore Award (quarterback): Trevone Boykin, TCU
Manning Award (quarterback): Marcus Mariota, Oregon
Sammy Baugh Trophy (passing quarterback): Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
Running back
Doak Walker Award (running back): Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Jim Brown Trophy (running back): Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
Wide receiver
Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Amari Cooper, Alabama
Paul Warfield Trophy (wide receiver): Amari Cooper, Alabama
Tight end
John Mackey Award (tight end): Nick O'Leary, Florida State
Ozzie Newsome Award (tight end): Nick O'Leary, Florida State
Lineman
Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Brandon Scherff, Iowa
Jim Parker Trophy (offensive lineman): Reese Dismukes, Auburn
Defense
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Lott Trophy (defensive impact): Eric Kendricks, UCLA
Defensive line
Bill Willis Award (defensive lineman): Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Eric Kendricks, UCLA[43]
Jack Lambert Trophy (linebacker): Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Rotary Lombardi Award (defensive lineman/linebacker): Scooby Wright III, Arizona
Ted Hendricks Award (defensive end): Nate Orchard, Utah
Defensive back
Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Gerod Holliman, Louisville
Jack Tatum Trophy (defensive back): Gerod Holliman, Louisville
Special teams
Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Brad Craddock, Maryland
Vlade Award (placekicker):
Ray Guy Award (punter): Tom Hackett, Utah
Jet Award (return specialist): Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
Coaches
AFCA Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
AP Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award: Gary Patterson, TCU
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award: Nick Saban, Alabama
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU- Maxwell Coach of the Year: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award: Gary Patterson, TCU
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award:
SN Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award: Gary Patterson, TCU
Woody Hayes Trophy: Gary Patterson, TCU
Walter Camp Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
Assistants
AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year: Gary Campbell, Oregon
Broyles Award: Tom Herman, Ohio State
All-Americans
Coaching changes
This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2014. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2014, see 2013 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo | Jeff Quinn | October 12, 2014 | Fired | Alex Wood (interim) |
Buffalo | Alex Wood (interim) | November 30, 2014 | Replaced [44] | Lance Leipold (permanent) |
Central Michigan | Dan Enos | January 22, 2015 | Hired as offensive coordinator by Arkansas[45] | John Bonamego |
Colorado State | Jim McElwain | December 4, 2014 | Hired by Florida[46] | Dave Baldwin (interim) |
Colorado State | Dave Baldwin (interim) | December 22, 2014 | Replaced | Mike Bobo (permanent) |
Florida | Will Muschamp | November 16, 2014 | Resigned [47] | D. J. Durkin (interim – bowl game) |
Florida | D. J. Durkin (interim) | December 4, 2014 | Replaced[46] | Jim McElwain (permanent) |
Houston | Tony Levine | December 8, 2014 | Fired | David Gibbs (interim) |
Houston | David Gibbs (interim) | December 16, 2014 | Replaced | Tom Herman (permanent) |
Kansas | Charlie Weis | September 28, 2014 | Fired [48] | Clint Bowen (Interim) |
Kansas | Clint Bowen (interim) | December 5, 2014 | Replaced [49] | David Beaty (permanent) |
Michigan | Brady Hoke | December 2, 2014 | Fired | Jim Harbaugh[50] |
Nebraska | Bo Pelini | November 30, 2014 | Fired [51] | Barney Cotton (interim) |
Nebraska | Barney Cotton (interim) | December 4, 2014 | Replaced | Mike Riley (permanent) |
Pittsburgh | Paul Chryst | December 17, 2014 | Hired by Wisconsin | Joe Rudolph (interim) |
Pittsburgh | Joe Rudolph (interim) | December 23, 2014 | Replaced | Pat Narduzzi (permanent) |
Oregon State | Mike Riley | December 4, 2014 | Hired by Nebraska[52] | Gary Andersen |
SMU | June Jones | September 8, 2014 | Resigned [53] | Tom Mason (interim) |
SMU | Tom Mason (interim) | November 30, 2014 | Replaced [54] | Chad Morris (permanent) |
Troy | Larry Blakeney | October 5, 2014 | Retired [55] | Neal Brown |
Tulsa | Bill Blankenship | December 1, 2014 | Fired [56] | Philip Montgomery |
UAB | Bill Clark | December 2, 2014 | School dropped football[21] | None[57] |
UNLV | Bobby Hauck | November 28, 2014 | Resigned [58] | Tony Sanchez |
Wisconsin | Gary Andersen | December 10, 2014 | Hired by Oregon State | Barry Alvarez (interim – bowl game)[59] |
Wisconsin | Barry Alvarez (interim) | December 17, 2014 | for bowl game | Paul Chryst (permanent) |
Television viewers and ratings
Most watched regular season games
- Excludes Conference Championships and Kickoff Games
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Channel | Viewers | TV Rating [1] | Significance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 29, 7:45 ET | #15 Auburn | 44 | #1 Alabama | 55 | ESPN | 13.53 Million | 7.4 | Iron Bowl |
| 2 | October 18, 8:00 ET | #5 Notre Dame | 27 | #1 Florida State | 31 | ABC | 13.25 Million | 7.9 | |
| 3 | November 15, 3:30 ET | #1 Mississippi State | 20 | #5 Alabama | 25 | CBS | 10.27 Million | 6.4 | Rivalry |
| 4 | November 8, 8:00 ET | #5 Alabama | 20 | #16 LSU | 13 | 9.11 Million | 5.3 | Rivalry | |
| 5 | November 15, 8:00 ET | #2 Florida State | 30 | Miami (FL) | 26 | ABC | 8.74 Million | 5.3 | Rivalry |
| 6 | November 29, 12:00 ET | Michigan | 28 | #6 Ohio State | 42 | 8.23 Million | 4.9 | The Game | |
| 7 | September 20, 3:30 ET | Florida | 21 | #3 Alabama | 42 | CBS | 7.95 Million | 5.1 | |
| 8 | September 20, 8:00 ET | #22 Clemson | 17 | #1 Florida State | 23 | ABC | 7.34 Million | 4.5 | |
| 9 | November 8, 3:30 ET | Texas A&M | 41 | #3 Auburn | 38 | CBS | 7.21 Million | 4.4 | |
| 10 | November 8, 8:00 ET | #14 Ohio State | 49 | #8 Michigan State | 37 | ABC | 6.83 Million | 3.9 | |
Kickoff games
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Channel | Viewers | TV Rating | Game | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 30, 3:30 ET | #2 Alabama | 33 | West Virginia | 23 | Regional ABC | 6.4 Million | 4 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game | Georgia Dome, Atlanta |
| 2 | August 30, 8:00 ET | Oklahoma State | 31 | #1 Florida State | 37 | ABC | 6.03 Million | 2.4 | Cowboys Classic | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas |
| 3 | August 30, 9:00 ET | #13 LSU | 28 | #14 Wisconsin | 24 | ESPN | 4.68 Million | 2.8 | Texas Kickoff | Reliant Stadium, Houston |
| 4 | August 28, 8:00 ET | Boise State | 13 | #18 Ole Miss | 35 | ESPN | 2.42 Million | 1.5 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game | Georgia Dome, Atlanta |
Conference championship games
| Rank | Date | Matchup | Channel | Viewers | TV Rating | Conference | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 6, 4:00 ET | #1 Alabama | 42 | #16 Missouri | 13 | CBS | 12.8 Million | 7.8 | SEC | Georgia Dome, Atlanta |
| 2 | December 6, 8:00 ET | #4 Florida State | 37 | #11 Georgia Tech | 35 | ABC | 10.1 Million | 6.2 | ACC | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 3 | December 6, 8:00 ET | #13 Wisconsin | 0 | #5 Ohio State | 59 | FOX | 6.13 Million | 3.5 | Big Ten | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis |
| 4 | December 5, 9:00 ET | #7 Arizona | 13 | #2 Oregon | 51 | FOX | 6.00 Million | 3.7 | Pac-12 | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California |
| 5 | December 6, 10:00 ET | Fresno State | 14 | #22 Boise State | 28 | CBS | 1.53 Million | 1.0 | MW | Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho |
| 6 | December 6, 12:00 ET | Louisiana Tech | 23 | Marshall | 26 | ESPN2 | 725K | 0.5 | C-USA | Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, West Virginia |
| 7 | December 5, 7:00 ET | Bowling Green | 17 | Northern Illinois | 51 | ESPN2 | 692K | 0.5 | MAC | Ford Field, Detroit |
College Football Playoff
Note: All games aired on ESPN
| Game | Date | Matchup | Viewers | TV Rating | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rose Bowl | January 1, 2015 | 5:00 ET | #3 Florida State | 20 | #2 Oregon | 59 | 28.2 Million | 14.8 |
Sugar Bowl | January 1, 2015 | 8:00 ET | #4 Ohio State | 42 | #1 Alabama | 35 | 28.3 Million | 15.2 |
National Championship | January 12, 2015 | 8:30 ET | #4 Ohio State | 42 | #2 Oregon | 20 | 33.4 Million* | 18.2 |
- Does not include viewers from ESPN Megacast which also included channels ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Classic, and ESPN Deportes. 34.1 Million viewers for all channels combined.
See also
- 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
References
^ abc "Final 2014 Associated Press poll has Alabama in top five as Ohio State claims title". AL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ abc "Final 2014 football coaches poll includes another top-5 finish for Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
^ NJ.com (February 13, 2014). "Proposed NCAA rule change to slow "hurry up offenses" draws criticism from coaches". nj.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
^ "Big 12 Officiating Eight-Man Crews are here to stay". NewsOK.com. July 17, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
^ CBSSports.com (March 5, 2014). "Report: Rules Committee Will Not Vote On "10 Second Rule"". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
^ "UAB football will return to the field in 2017".
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^ Schad, Joe (May 14, 2014). "Boise State can help Antoine Turner". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
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^ Moyer, Josh (September 8, 2014). "Penn State's postseason ban over". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
^ ab "Florida State, Auburn 1-2 in AP poll". ESPN.com. October 5, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
^ Low, Chris; Schlabach, Mark (October 5, 2014). "The winner in Week 6? Chaos". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
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^ "Mississippi State No. 1 in AP poll". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
^ "Cato gets record; No. 25 Marshall tops FIU 45-13". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
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^ Ward, Austin (December 1, 2014). "Body identified as Kosta Karageorge". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
^ ab "UAB shutting down football program". ESPN.com. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
^ Sobleski, Brent (December 5, 2014). "Board of Governors approve new on-campus stadium for Colorado State Rams". College Football Talk. NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
^ DeCourcy, Mike (December 8, 2014). "Big 12 researching possible candidates for expansion even before playoff snub". Sporting News. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
^ Wixon, Matt (March 5, 2014). "Aledo Will Play Cedar Park in First Game at Baylor's New McLane Stadium". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
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^ Feigen, Jonathan (August 29, 2014). "Cougars suffer ugly 27-7 loss to UTSA in TDECU Stadium's first game". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
^ "Zenon, Byerly power G. Tech past Tulane 38-21". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
^ "EMU Installing Gray FieldTurf Surface at Rynearson Stadium" (Press release). Eastern Michigan University Athletics. June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
^ ab "Pitt's Conner Voted ACC Player of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
^ "Georgia Tech's Johnson Voted ACC Coach of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
^ abc "Remaining Individual Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
^ abc "The 2014 AP All-SEC football team". Southeastern Conference. Associated Press. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
^ abc "American Athletic Conference Announces 2014 Postseason Football Honors" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
^ abc "Conference USA Announces Football Players of the Year" (Press release). Conference USA. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
^ "Marshall's Doc Holliday Named C-USA Football Coach Of The Year" (Press release). Conference USA. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
^ "MAC Announces 2014 All-MAC Teams & Postseason Football Awards" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
^ abc "Mountain West Announces 2014 Football All-Conference and Individual Honors" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
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^ "Georgia Southern Football To Vacate Three Games From 2013-14 Seasons - Georgia Southern University". Georgia Southern University. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
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^ "FBS coaches poll will continue every week despite BCS going away". Associated Press. January 13, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
^ "Justin Hardy Named 2014 Burlsworth Trophy Winner" (Press release). ECU Athletics. December 8, 2014. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
^ Foster, Chris (December 9, 2014). "UCLA Linebacker Eric Kendricks Wins Butkus Award". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
^ Evans, Thayer; Thamel, Pete (November 30, 2014). "Buffalo hires Wisconsin-Whitewater's Lance Leipold as new head coach". SI.com. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Low, Chris (January 22, 2015). "Arkansas hires Dan Enos as OC". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
^ ab Low, Chris (December 4, 2014). "Jim McElwain to coach Florida". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
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^ Kahn, Jr., Sam (December 5, 2014). "Kansas hires David Beaty as coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
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^ Sherman, Mitch. "Nebraska fires coach Bo Pelini". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ Sherman, Mitch (December 5, 2014). "Nebraska hires Mike Riley as coach". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
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^ UAB would later announce that it would reinstate football in the 2017 season; Clark was retained as head coach.
^ "Bobby Hauck submits resignation". ESPN. November 28, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
^ "Barry Alvarez to coach bowl game". ESPN.com. December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
External links
Media related to 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season at Wikimedia Commons
