The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi was at the Rose Bowl and writes that it is still college football's greatest tradition but needs a bigger stage than being a quarterfinal.
PASADENA, Calif. – As the sun finally started to burst through the clouds that had been hanging over the Rose Bowl and the San Gabriel Mountains began to rise above the north end of the stadium as the skies cleared late in the game, college football fans were once again reminded of the sport’s greatest tradition and its grandest cathedral.
There is simply nothing like the Rose Bowl being played on New Year’s Day. In a sport that has sadly discarded century‑old traditions and rivalries like passing fads, it is the one that hasn’t changed—and should never be altered.
It is, however, a tradition that needs to be put on a higher pedestal and given a bigger stage. There is no reason the Rose Bowl should ever be a quarterfinal game in the College Football Playoff, but here “The Granddaddy of Them All” sits for the second year in a row, serving as a second‑round site. It’s a placement the Rose Bowl is locked into since it will always be played on New Year’s Day after the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
That’s one of many reasons why the College Football Playoff schedule needs to be tweaked and why the Rose Bowl should always be at least a semifinal game.
The biggest issue with the current playoff schedule is the gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason. There’s no reason for Indiana to be off for nearly a month between games. The Hoosiers had 26 days off from their 13‑10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game on December 6, 2025 to their 38‑3 blowout win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2026.
The layoff did not affect Indiana the way it did other teams with similarly long breaks. Teams with a bye in the College Football Playoff were 0‑7 prior to Indiana’s statement win over Alabama.
The College Football Playoff needs to expand to 16 teams with no byes and start the week after conference championship games. Under this format this season, the regular season would have wrapped the weekend of November 29, conference championship games would have taken place the weekend of December 6, and the first round of the playoffs would have been played on campuses the weekend of December 13. The quarterfinals would have taken place at four bowl sites the weekend of December 20.
Some want these games played on campuses instead of bowls. I’m fine with that, but bowl organizers will hate the idea as much as they would hate moving their games earlier. The truth is everyone has to sacrifice something to keep bowls alive alongside a playoff.
There would then be a Christmas break before semifinals take place on New Year’s Day. There’s no need for playoff games on New Year’s Eve night, where they get lost while people are celebrating with friends and family.
The catch? The Rose Bowl would always serve as a New Year’s Day semifinal. The other semifinal would rotate between the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Peach Bowl.
The other bowls may not like that, but the truth is the Rose Bowl is different. It deserves the sport’s brightest spotlight. The trophy presentation, roses, championship hats, and shirts should mean more than a ceremonial photo op.
Many college football reporters and analysts get lost in the magic of the Rose Bowl and argue it should host the national championship game evert year. That’s not happening. Since 2015, the championship game lives exclusively in NFL stadiums that have recently hosted a Super Bowl.
As much as I love the nostalgia, I also understand this is a business. And the business wants modern stadiums, premium seats, and luxury suites. The last time the national championship was held in Los Angeles County, it was played at SoFi Stadium in 2023—not the Rose Bowl. Why? The same reason UCLA wants to move there. SoFi Stadium has 260 luxury suites and 13,000 premium seats. The Rose Bowl has 54 suites and 1,200 premium seats.
A New Year’s Day semifinal at the Rose Bowl, paired with a rotating second semifinal and a championship game staged two weeks later—before the NFL Divisional Round—creates a Super Bowl‑style buildup without burying bowls.
That’s the compromise. That’s the tradeoff. That’s the way to preserve tradition without pretending this sport isn’t a business.
College football is changing fast. But the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day shouldn’t be one of the things it sacrifices. Thursday reminded us of that. If anything, it reminded us the Rose Bowl deserves a bigger stage, a brighter spotlight, and a permanent place in the sport’s final act without being forced to play the role of a quarterfinal footnote.
There are many things changing in college football, but the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day should not be one of them.
Category: General Sports
