Rose Bowl remains on schedule to host College Football Playoff semifinal 'at this moment'
The Rose Bowl remains "at this moment" scheduled to serve as the host of one of the College Football Playoff national semifinals, playoff executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement Tuesday.
Whether the site in Pasadena, California, would continue to serve as one of the semifinal hosts during this pandemic season has been in doubt due to state restrictions on attendance, which would bar all spectators, including players' family members.
“As we move forward with our planning, we continue to hope that the Rose Bowl’s appeal to government officials to allow the families of student-athletes to attend will be permitted, just as student-athlete families will be welcomed at the Sugar Bowl, the other New Years’ Six games and the championship game in Miami," Hancock said.
"Given the vast space inside the Rose Bowl stadium, we are confident that if families were able to attend, they could do so in a safe and socially distant manner. For many families, this will be the last chance they have to see their sons play college football."
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Held annually since 1916, the Rose Bowl has twice played host to the playoff semifinals, in 2015 and 2018. If unable to be held in California, the semifinal could move to the Cotton Bowl, which is also part of the New Year's Six bowl rotation. If moved out of Pasadena, the semifinal would not carry the Rose Bowl designation.
"The SEC is not part of the initiative to relocate the CFP semifinal game from the Rose Bowl to another location," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "Any implication that the SEC is part of a proactive charge or lobbying effort to change the location of any CFP location is inaccurate."