The Rose Bowl was not given a special exemption from the state of California to allow a few hundred fans to attend the semifinal of the College Football Playoff on January 1, seriously calling the match in Pasadena, California into question drawn.
One person involved in organizing the game told The Associated Press that the Tournament of Roses request had been denied earlier this week.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff were still finalizing a plan for what to do with the game. A decision was expected before the playoff teams are selected on Sunday, the person said.
If the game is rescheduled, a likely venue will be AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The CFP offices are located in the suburbs of Dallas.
Coaches and school officials with playoff contenders have complained about the Rose Bowl’s inability to accommodate players’ relatives due to California’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly even suggested that the Fighting Irish could boycott the playoffs if they made it onto the field and were forced to play in the Rose Bowl without the players’ families allowed to participate.
It’s unclear if the game would still be called the Rose Bowl if it moves. If not, it would be the first time in over 100 years that a Rose Bowl game wasn’t played after a college football season.
The last time the Rose Bowl game was played outside of Pasadena was in 1942. The Oregon State vs. Duke game was played in Durham, North Carolina because the west coast was considered unsafe after the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 .