Rose Bowl game schedules earlier kickoff time for College Football Playoff
The 2026 Rose Bowl game will start an hour earlier than the traditional kickoff time for the College Football Playoff, according to officials.
The one hour change, which will have the game begin at 1 p.m. as opposed to 2 p.m. is "the result of a thoughtful collaboration" between CFP officials, ESPN and event organizers for the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl, according to Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff.
"All three bowls shifting their start times allows us to place each game in an ideal window on New Year's Day and provide the optimal viewing experience," Clark said in a statement. "New Year's Day and college football are synonymous with each other, and these changes only strengthen that relationship."
Organizers are confident that the series of events planned in Pasadena on New Year's Day will not be impacted by the earlier start time.
"A midafternoon game has always been important to the tradition of The Grandaddy of Them All, but this small timing adjustment will not impact the Rose Bowl Game experience for our participants or attendees," said David Eads, the CEO of the Tournament of Roses. "Over the past five years the Rose Bowl Game has run long on several occasions, resulting in a delayed start for the following bowl game and ultimately it was important for us to be good partners with ESPN and the College Football Playoff and remain flexible for the betterment of college football and its postseason."
In 2018, Georgia topped Oklahoma in a game that went to double overtime and in 2024 Michigan and Alabama's matchup lasted just two plays in OT before the Wolverines took the win.
Eads did not note if there would be any impact to the Rose Parade, as it typically begins at 8 a.m. on New Year's Day.
The Cotton Bowl, the first of the four quarterfinal games, will take place as it usually does on New Year's Eve at 4:30 p.m. The next morning, the Orange Bowl kicks off at 9 a.m., followed by the Rose Bowl, then the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 5 p.m.
