Rose Bowl Game Matchup to be Announced on Dec. 3 – Pasadena Now
The 2024 matchup for the Rose Bowl Game, known as the ‘Grandaddy of Them All,’ will be announced on Dec. 3. The announcement will be the last one before significant changes are implemented to the format of the iconic Rose Bowl Game.
Starting in 2025, the Rose Bowl Game will transition from a College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal game into one of CFP’s quarterfinal games.
This change is part of the expansion of the CFP from a four-team to a 12-team playoff format for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 system. Under the new system, the six highest-ranked conference champions, along with the six highest-ranked other teams, will compete in the playoffs.
The Rose Bowl Game, played since 1902, is the oldest currently operating bowl game and one of the most prestigious in college football. Traditionally, it was played between the champions of the Big Ten Conference and the Pac-12 Conference. However, the game has deviated from this format at times as part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and the current College Football Playoff.
The semifinal games will rotate annually among six bowl games: the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the Rose Bowl Game.
The decision to expand the playoffs from a four-team format to a 12-team format was initially announced in September 2022, with plans to implement the change in the 2026 season. However, following further discussions, the CFP decided to introduce the new format earlier, starting in the 2024-2025 season.
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