Editor’s note: Throughout the offseason, The Athletic is celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football, one decade at a time. For more on the 1940s, read Michael Weinreb on how college football adapted and played a role on the home front in World War II.



On Jan. 1, 1942, in a classic Rose Bowl upset, Oregon State’s Bob Dethman tossed a winning 68-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Not only did Oregon State beat the No. 2 team in the sport’s most revered bowl game; it also did so on Duke’s home field.



Only a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, safety concerns on the West Coast prompted events in Pasadena to be canceled. As an alternative, Duke invited Oregon State to Durham, N.C., for a unique Rose Bowl that illustrated how flexible college football needed to be as the United States entered World War II.



Adapting during the war meant rule changes, including relaxed eligibility standards to help colleges field...