College Football Playoff will move semifinal game off Rose Bowl
The College Football Playoff is on track to play the semifinal scheduled for the Rose Bowl at a different venue because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Rose Bowl is not going to host a College Football Playoff semifinal this season after all.
The CFP is on the verge of moving the semifinal away from Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Local health regulations over COVID-19 were likely to prevent players families to attend the game if it were played at the iconic stadium, prompting coaches like Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly to question the hosting of the game there.
The Rose Bowl won’t host a College Football Playoff semifinal
Officials in Pasadena tried to get friends and families of players involved in the semifinal permission to attend but California health officials denied the request, according to The Times.
California, and Los Angeles in particular, have been hit hard by COVID-19 over the past month. The city is already under a stay-at-home order. It was always unlikely for officials to give the go-ahead for a crowd when no such gatherings have been allowed for college or pro football this fall.
The big question now is where the game will move and whether it will be called the Rose Bowl.
An obvious choice would be AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but no decision has been made on that front.
As for “The Rose Bowl Game,” that moniker is also hanging in the air. Per the LA Times, “it’s up to the Pasadena City Council to decide whether to allow” the name to be used.
If the Rose Bowl Game isn’t played on Jan. 1, it will be the first time since it will go unplayed since 1916.
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