The game will be moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, because families on football teams would not be able to attend a game at the Rose Bowl. The Roses Tournament said it received news later this week that the state of California would not make a special exception for players invited to the game.
In a statement, the executive director of the college football qualifiers, Bill Hancock, said it was a mutual agreement of the management committee of the college football qualifiers and the Roses Tournament “given the growing number of cases of COVID-19 in Southern California “.
“We’re excited that parents and loved ones can see their students play the game,” Hancock said.
“We are very grateful to Rose Bowl officials and the city of Pasadena. They have worked hard to hear the concerns of the PCP, the teams that could have played there and its state and government officials. The Roses Tournament has performed at its best. interest of people living in Southern California We thank those in charge of Cotton Bowl and AT&T Stadium for their ability to make this late change possible.
“Add it to the list of ways that 2020 has demanded flexibility and last-minute accommodation for everyone in college football. Given all the complexities and difficulties involved, this is the best outcome for everyone interested.”
The four-team college football playoff will be unveiled on Sunday. The semifinals will be Jan. 1 and the national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“We know the decision was not an easy one to make,” David Eads, executive director and executive director of the Roses Tournament, said in a statement. “While we are confident that a match could have been played at Rose Bowl Stadium, as is evident in the other collegiate and professional games taking place in the region, the projection of COVID-19 cases in the region has continued in an upward trend “. “
On Friday, Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly told reporters he wasn’t sure if his team would play in the playoffs if families weren’t there. Kelly supported moving the semifinal to the Rose Bowl to a different location.
“They have to figure out how to make sure the places they play, the parents will be watching their kids play,” Kelly said.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney echoed Kelly’s statements on Friday.
“It doesn’t make sense to me to put a group of kids on a plane and fly them to California to play in an empty stadium. That doesn’t make sense when you have a lot of stadiums where you can have fans and, most importantly, you can to have families “.
CNN’s Jacob Lev contributed to this report.