The Grandaddy of them all will not host the biggest game of them all (well, in college football at least) in 2020. Officials with the Rose Bowl thought about it carefully, but opted not to place a bid to host the national championship game of the College Football Playoff.
“We would love to host a national championship game here,” said Rose Bowl executive director William Flinn to Chris DuFresne. “We’re not going to put a bid out on a hope and a prayer.”
Championship game sites for 2018, 2019 and 2020 will be awarded later this year by the College Football Playoff. Judging by the quote from Flinn, the folks in charge of the top bowl game in the college football world are not prepared to place a bid on the chance of being rejected for the hosting rights. This is interesting, because what would be the odds the Rose Bowl would be turned down by any the CFB Playoff over any other options? It all comes down to money.
As reported by DuFresne, host cities are expected to spend between $13 million and $20 million to host the championship game, guarantee 10,000 hotel rooms, provide VIP transportation and organize various special events and parties leading up to the championship game. A relative lack of luxury suites in Rose Bowl Stadium also comes into play, with just 54 luxury suites available.
The atmosphere of a championship game in the Rose Bowl Stadium may be the most genuine a setting college football could ask for, but it is not college football that is making the decision. It is the greed of the College Football Playoff. To see the Rose Bowl turn down the opportunity to bid on the championship game is actually refreshing, because it is one way of saying no to the branded image of the new postseason.
Of course, the Rose Bowl is still a big part of that, and the stadium will still host a high-quality game in 2020, so the game is not losing much either.