Report: Rose Bowl Agrees To Expand College Football Playoff As Soon As 2024
As first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Rose Bowl signed an agreement on Wednesday night that will allow the College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams by the 2024 season.
Playoff leaders reportedly issued an ultimatum to Rose Bowl officials this week, giving them a Wednesday deadline to agree to expand two years earlier than initially planned or be left out of the New Year’s Six bowl rotation in the next contract.
The College Football Playoff’s board of managers unanimously agreed in September to expand the field to 12 teams no later than 2026, the first season after the playoff’s current contract expires, although it would explore the possibility of expanding earlier.
The Rose Bowl, which historically matches teams from the Big Ten and Pac-12, was the final hurdle, as it wanted assurances that it could host a semifinal in its traditional Jan. 1 time slot. However, nothing could be guaranteed beyond the current contract.
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The College Football Playoff is expected to bring in an extra $450 million per year in gross revenue in 2024-25 due to expansion, which will feature seven additional games. An official announcement is expected in the coming days.
As announced in September, the 12-team format will include the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams, including the highest-ranked Group of Five team.
The top four will receive a bye, while the teams seeded fifth through eighth will host first-round games on campus. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at neutral sites, meanwhile, cycling between the New Year’s Six bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach and Fiesta).
First-round games will reportedly be played during the third week of December, while the quarterfinals are expected to be held on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals will be played a little more than one week later, while the national championship will be held at another neutral site in mid-January.
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