The Rose Bowl has requested to be removed from the College Football Playoff semifinal rotation in order to continue hosting the game on Jan. 1 each year, Rose Bowl Executive Committee chair Laura Farber confirmed. Athletic on tuesday.
This season's CFP will move to a 12-team format, with four of the New Year's Six bowls hosting their quarterfinals on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, while the other two will host their semifinals on Jan. 8 and 9. The Rose Bowl, which just hosted a semifinal last season (Michigan vs. Alabama), is already scheduled to have a Jan. 1 quarterfinal for the next two seasons.
Going deeper
CFP Board approves transition to 5+7 model in 2024
But the CFP signed a new six-year contract with ESPN earlier this year that begins in 2026, and has yet to announce a bowl rotation beyond that season. The Rose Bowl, which has already been eliminated in the traditional Big Ten-Pacific-12 matchup, would prefer to host a quarterfinal each year to maintain its traditional schedule, rather than host one of the semifinals a week later.
“We want to play on Jan. 1,” Faber said.
Faber told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the bowl game will be “flexible” about keeping its traditional 2 p.m. Pacific kickoff time.
The CFP and ESPN announced the new agreement in March, but the long-form deal has yet to be finalized, new CFP executive director Rich Clark said recently. Athletic.
“The majority of it is done, but there are still some details that need to be worked out,” he said.
Clark did not specifically address the Rose Bowl situation but said, “We are working with our bowl partners to ensure the survival of New Year's Six bowls. They are an important part of college football.”
If the Rose Bowl gets its wish, it's unclear how it would affect the rotation of other bowls. If the current format is maintained, the Rose Bowl would likely host the semifinals again after the 2026 and 2029 seasons. The new contract would run through the 2031-2032 postseason.
Must Read
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
