Tournament Pushed to Preserve Traditional Rose Bowl Game in College Football Playoff Expansion Talks

According to a memo obtained by Pasadena Now, just weeks after the Tournament of Roses filed a lawsuit against the City of Pasadena about the Rose Bowl game last February, the Association’s Rose Bowl Management Committee chair proposed to the College Football Playoffs (CFP) that the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day should become a fixture as one of the CFP’s annual quarterfinal games.

The memo was addressed to commissioners of the Pac-12 and football conferences.

In that memo, former Tournament President Laura Farber called for the development of an independent media contract with the Rose Bowl Game, its partner conferences, and a telecast entity for an “annual quarterfinal game.”

“The proposed quarterfinal Rose Bowl game shall occur on January 1 annually in its historic telecast window [approximately 5 p.m. Eastern time] following the Rose Parade,” wrote Farber, an attorney with the Hahn and Hahn law firm, in the memo dated April 6.

The memo was written in advance of an April 14 meeting on to discuss CFP and an evolving future.

“At the appropriate time, it is our recommendation and intention to pursue discussion with ESPN under the right of first refusal clause contained in the existing contract,” Farber wrote.

The memo was first reported by college football writer Andy Wittry who printed it in his newsletter.

When contacted by Pasadena Now on Tuesday, the Tournament confirmed the authenticity of the memo.

Farber also lists preferred access for the Rose Bowl Game on an equal rotating basis to a Pac 12 or Big Ten team available for that round of competition and a most-favored national position among bowls and other venues for hosting CFP Semi-Final and Championship games.

“The Pasadena Tournament of Roses runs and operates the annual Rose Bowl Game, which is managed by a tri-party agreement that includes the Tournament of Roses and the Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences,” said Tournament CEO David Eads.

“Our leadership group regularly communicates with our conference partners to discuss the Rose Bowl Game and the college football landscape as a whole,” Eads wrote.

“The college football postseason has changed many times through the years, and we recognize that it continues to be an evolving process. From the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) to the CFP Playoff, the Rose Bowl Game has shown its flexibility and we are proud to continue to be a part of the postseason, a tradition that spans more than 100 plus years.”

The CFP is currently considering expanding to a 12-game playoff series. According to several college football beat writers, the Rose Bowl Game would be moved from its regular time, unless it was hosting the semifinal game, which Farber listed as an objective.

The Pac-12 Conference, which includes UCLA and USC, announced an alliance today with the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference that will include interconference games in football and men’s and women’s basketball.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 plan to keep pushing for the inclusion of the Rose Bowl in its traditional form of a Jan. 1, 2 p.m. PST game.

“As we look to the future, we want to be a part of the process and we know that change and innovation will only make college football better,” Eads said. “We’d be remiss if we didn’t recognize that the tradition and history of our game are important to us, but we are confident that the future of college football can honor the tradition of the Rose Bowl Game while also doing what’s best for college football and its student-athletes.”

The city and the Tournament of Roses are currently embroiled in a lawsuit over rights to the Rose Bowl Game.