The Rose Bowl was denied a special exemption from the state of California to allow a few hundred fans to attend the semifinals of the College Football Playoff on January 1, seriously questioning the game’s stay in Pasadena. California.
A person involved in organizing the game told The Associated Press that the application for the Roses Tournament was denied earlier this week.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Rose Bowl and the College Football Playoff were still finalizing a plan on what to do with the game. A decision was expected before the playoff teams were selected on Sunday, the person said.
If the game moves, the venue is likely to be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. PCP offices are located on the outskirts of Dallas.
Coaches and school officials with qualifiers have complained about the Rose Bowl’s inability to accommodate players ’family members due to California’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly even suggested that the Fighting Irish could boycott the playoffs if they reached the field and were forced to play in the Rose Bowl without the families of the players being able to attend.
It’s unclear if the game would still be called Rose Bowl if it moves. Otherwise, it would be the first time in more than 100 years that no Rose Bowl game was played after a college football season.
The last time the Rose Bowl was played outside of Pasadena was in 1942. The game between Oregon State and Duke was played in Durham, North Carolina, because the west coast was considered unsafe after the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.