College Football Playoff semifinal game will be played without fans
By Jake Rill
Published:
This season, the Rose Bowl is one of the two games that will serve as a semifinal matchup for the College Football Playoff. However, it’s not going to have the typical Playoff atmosphere.
On Thursday, the Rose Bowl announced that there will not be fans in attendance for this season’s contest, which is set to take place Jan. 1 in Pasadena, Calif. The decision was made due to the COVID-19 restrictions that have been put in place by California, Los Angeles County and the City of Pasadena.
“While we are disappointed that the Rose Bowl Game will not be played in front of spectators, we are pleased that we are still able to hold the game this year, continuing the 100-year plus tradition of The Granddaddy of Them All,” Pasadena Tournament of Roses executive director and CEO David Eads said in a statement. “We continue to work closely with health department officials and the Rose Bowl Stadium to provide the safest possible environment for our game participants.”
In the announcement, it was revealed that the Tournament of Roses had requested for a “limited number of spectators or a select number of student-athlete and coach guests” to be allowed to attend the game, but that was denied.
Still, in a year in which some bowl games are getting canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Rose Bowl will at least go on as planned. And it’s sure to be an exciting matchup, as it will feature two of the top four teams in the country playing for a chance to advance to the CFP National Championship Game.
Currently, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State hold the top four spots in the CFP rankings, respectively. The Nos. 1 and 4 seeds and the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds will be facing off in a pair of semifinal matchups — the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, both of which will occur on New Year’s Day.
The semifinal winners will advance to face off in the CFP National Championship Game, which will take place Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
