The 1980 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1980. It was the 66th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 17-16. USC running back Charles White was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game (for a second time, having shared the previous game's award with Rick Leach), rushing for a record 247 yards, including the game-winning touchdown with little more than a minute remaining in the contest. USC, having suffered a shocking 21-21 tie with Stanford (in a game in which they led 21-0) that cost them the #1 ranking, finished ranked #2 behind Alabama.