The 1973 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1973. It was the 59th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, 42–17. USC running back Sam Cunningham scored four touchdowns and was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. The Trojans were voted unanimously the number one team in college football, the first time in college football history. The attendance of 106,869 set the Rose Bowl Stadium record, as well as the NCAA bowl game record.

The national championship was on the line for #1 USC, and likely #3 Ohio State. Although #2 Oklahoma already had defeated Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve to finish their season 11–1, a convincing win in the Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes might well have swayed the voters to put Ohio State at #1.

The 1972 USC Trojans football team was undefeated and untied. Their first win against #4 Arkansas propelled them to the top of the polls, where they remained throughout the season. They had help from new coach Pepper Rodgers' UCLA Bruins, who had defeated #1 ranked Nebraska to start the season. The Trojans' closest contest was a 30–21 defeat of number 15 Stanford. In the UCLA-USC rivalry game with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams, the Bruins were outmatched by the Trojans 24–7. USC would then soundly defeat Notre Dame 45–23 behind the six touchdowns of Anthony Davis. Quarterbacking duties were shared by Mike Rae and Pat Haden.

This was the first year that freshmen could play football due to the NCAA rescinding an earlier rule, and so began the first of four Rose Bowl appearances for Archie Griffin. Ohio State had one loss at Michigan State, 19–12 on November 11. USC had demolished the Spartans 51–6 only five weeks earlier in a night game at the Coliseum. In the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry, the Rose Bowl was on the line for both teams; the Big Ten had rescinded its long-time "no repeat" rule, so Michigan was eligible to play in the Rose Bowl for a second straight year, and the unbeaten Wolverines were a slight favorite over the Buckeyes in Columbus. However, Ohio State used a defensive goal line stand in the first half and another in the second half to beat number 3 ranked Michigan, 14–11. The Buckeyes and Wolverines shared the Big Ten title, and the conference's athletic directors voted to give Ohio State the Rose Bowl bid. Because the Big Ten and the Pac-8 still did not permit teams to play in any postseason game except the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines didn't participate in any bowl games.

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