College football’s oldest bowl faces major shift as calls grow to make the Rose Bowl permanent title site

Keith Jackson said it best: it’s the Granddaddy of Them All.

The Rose Bowl isn’t just another game on the college football calendar.

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It’s a tradition, a spectacle, and for many, the pinnacle of the sport.

When the sun begins to set behind the San Gabriel Mountains, with the Rose Bowl in the foreground, it creates one of the most beautiful sights in all of sports.

This year, Indiana and Alabama are set to face off in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff in the iconic game.

The potential number one draft pick, Fernando Mendoza, is leading the Hoosiers to a historic season, and it could get even better with a win on January 1.

However, the focus isn’t just on the field: calls are growing to make the Rose Bowl the permanent home of the national championship, potentially reshaping college football forever.

As the landscape of the sport continues to shift with NIL, the transfer portal, and conference realignment, one thing remains constant: the pageantry and prestige of the Rose Bowl.

It’s a game worthy of hosting the national championship every year—not just a quarterfinal game in a 12-team playoff.

There are plenty of reasons why the Rose Bowl deserves this honor.

For starters, it’s the oldest bowl game in the country, with a legacy stretching all the way back to 1902. Hosting the national championship at such a storied venue would honor college football’s rich history while connecting its past to the present.

But forget the nostalgia and history for a second. The Rose Bowl is far more than just a memory and collection of iconic moments.

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The stadium’s setting is equally compelling as it is stunning.

With the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop and its horseshoe-shaped seating, the Rose Bowl offers a visual and emotional experience few modern stadiums can match.

Its atmosphere, from tailgating and pageantry to the famous Tournament of Roses Parade, adds layers of excitement that make it more than just a football game; it’s a cultural event.

Practical considerations also make Pasadena an ideal choice. The Rose Bowl seats over 90,000 fans and has the infrastructure to accommodate massive crowds, media, and teams.

Its West Coast location provides a neutral site for teams and fans traveling from across the country, while its national broadcast history ensures the game is showcased to millions of viewers.

Beyond tradition and logistics, hosting the national championship at the Rose Bowl every year could bring a huge economic boost to the local Pasadena area, from tourism to local businesses, while preserving the stadium’s legacy as a stage for college football’s most memorable moments.

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As national media and fanbases alike have called to make the Rose Bowl the permanent national championship site, the conversation is clear: some places are bigger than the game itself.

And for college football, few stadiums capture that spirit like the Rose Bowl.