Rose Bowl

Guide Note

Called the "Grandaddy of Them All," the Rose Bowl has arguably the richest and certainly the most history of all college bowl games. Usually played each New Year's Day, the college football classic is held in the Pasadena, California, stadium of the same name.

Fast Facts

1. Nickname: "The Granddaddy of Them All"
2. Preceded each year in the early morning by the world-famous Tournament of Roses Parade
3. Originally titled "Tournament East-West football game"
4. The Michigan Wolverines were the winners of the first annual Rose Bowl in 1902
5. From 1947-1998, participants have been the champions of Big Ten and Pac-10 Conferences
6. Current sponsor: Citigroup

Until the Bowl Championship Series was instigated in 1998, teams from the Big Ten Conference and the Pac-10 Conference traditionally played in the Rose Bowl. For its first eight years, however, the BCS alternated the site of its title game between four major bowls, including the Rose. In 2002 the Miami Hurricanes beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the Rose Bowl—and the national championship—marking the first time both the Big Ten and Pac-10 did not have teams appear in the game since 1946. Now that the BCS has added an extra non-bowl game to serve as its title game, the Rose Bowl committee says it once again will strive to pit Big Ten and Pac-10 teams against each other in the Rose Bowl.