Rose Bowl Game Will No Longer Be A College Football Playoff Semifinal

The Rose Bowl Game is arguably college football's greatest showcase. "The Granddaddy of Them All," as its long been known, is a New Year's Day tradition, while also playing a role in a number of National Championship games and a remarkable list of memorable moments.

But the massive wave of realignment sweeping over college football has gutted part of what used to make the Rose Bowl game special: the traditional Big Ten-Pac-12 matchup. With the demise of the Pac-12 Conference, the Rose Bowl became part of the Playoff Semifinal rotation. A change, yes, but at least maintaining the game as one of the most important in the college football landscape.

Unfortunately, that's about to change…to an extent.

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Rose Bowl Game Requests To Be Removed From Semifinal Rotation

The expansion of the College Football Playoff is forcing changes to the postseason schedule moving forward. The first round starts in late December, with the quarterfinals around New Years and the semifinals pushed back to the second week of January.

That forced the Rose Bowl game organizers to decide whether to keep their game on its traditional New Year's Day date, or stay in the semifinal rotation. And according to a new report, they've chosen New Year's Day. 

Rose Bowl management committee chair Laura Farber told The Athletic that the committee has a strong preference for continuing one tradition. "We prefer to have a game on Jan. 1," Farber said.

The College Football Playoff organizers have yet to confirm whether they'll honor the Rose Bowl game's request, but what choice do they have? Removing the Rose Bowl from the playoff bracket would be a disservice to fans and players, as well as removing one of the most reliably high-rated television broadcasts.

Though the Rose Bowl will likely remain a quarterfinal matchup, it's still a frustrating, disheartening sign of the changes in modern college football. The National Championship game will now permanently be held at a generic NFL stadium, with no history, tradition or charm. Sure, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AT&T Stadium or SoFi Stadium are state of the art venues with technological advancements, no weather challenges, and loads of luxury boxes for corporate sponsors.

But they also have no character. The Rose Bowl does. It's an old stadium, but in a beautiful outdoor setting that makes for a better, more special atmosphere. It's immediately recognizable, has more history than virtually any other domestic stadium, and enhances the in-person fan experience. Remaining a quarterfinal is better than nothing, but the Rose Bowl should be part of the championship rotation.

Expanding the playoffs had consequences, and one of them is diminished importance for the Rose Bowl game. There's plenty of things to like about a 12-team playoff, but unfortunately, this isn't one of them.