The 2014 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game that was played on January 1 , 2014 at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena , California . This 100th Rose Bowl Game matched Big Ten Conference Champions Michigan State Spartans against Pac - 12 Conference Champions Stanford Cardinal ( the defending Rose Bowl champions ) , a rematch of the 1996 Sun Bowl . It was one of the 2013 -- 14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season . The first game in the final edition of the Bowl Championship Series , it was sponsored by the Vizio consumer electronics company , and officially titled the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio .

Question: who did michigan state play in the rose bowl
Answer: Stanford Cardinal