Tournament Caught Off Guard by UCLA, USC Plans to Leave Pac-12

In a letter to Association members, Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott said UCLA’s decision to jump from Pac-12 to the Big Ten took the Tournament by surprise.

“This conference realignment was unexpected by the majority of the college football world, including ourselves, and we’ve been working with our conference partners to figure out what this means for the Rose Bowl Game,” Wainscott said.

“Last year, it was also announced that Texas and Oklahoma would be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. They’re expected to change conferences at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season.”

UCLA and USC announced plans to leave the conference earlier this month. The traditional Rose Bowl Game is a matchup between the Pac-12 and the Big Ten.

The decisions to leave the conference by the two local universities could decimate the Pac-12 and could cause the remaining schools, including UC Berekely, to lose out on millions of dollars in media rights.

On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on UCLA to explain its decision.
“The first duty of every public university is to the people — especially students,”

Newsom said according to a story in the LA Times. “UCLA must clearly explain to the public how this deal will improve the experience for all its student-athletes, will honor its century-old partnership with UC Berkeley, and will preserve the histories, rivalries, and traditions that enrich our communities.”

The Rose Bowl Game is slated to continue in its current format through the terms of the Tournament of Roses broadcast agreement with ESPN, which runs through the 2026 Rose Bowl Game.

“The changes we’re seeing in college football are due to a number of factors,” said Wainscott. “From the new legislation around name, image, and likeness, to changes to the transfer portal and upcoming broadcast agreements, universities are doing everything they can to put their athletic departments in the best possible position financially.”

The Tournament is scheduled to host a traditional Rose Bowl Game in 2023, a Playoff Semifinal in 2024, and then will again host traditional Big Ten and Pac-12 matchups in 2025 and 2026.

“While the future is somewhat uncertain, we know we must be flexible and open to changes as we work to ensure that the tradition of the Rose Bowl Game will continue into the future of college football,” Wainscott said.