Rose Bowl History
The oldest bowl game in college football was first played in 1902 between Michigan and Stanford. The first game was so lopsided that it was not played again until 1916. Since the game is so old and prestigious it has been nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All.” The bowl is part of The Tournament of Roses, which is a New Years Day celebration and also includes the Tournament of Roses Parade. The Rose Bowl has cycled through four sponsors now that present the game and place their name at the end of the game. It is currently sponsored by HDTV maker Vizio. The 1952 Rose Bowl was the first college sport to be nationally televised. Four years later the 1962 Rose Bowl was the first college football game broadcasted in color. Throughout the game’s history many different teams have played in The Rose Bowl. The hometown favorite USC Trojans have more appearances and wins in the game than any other team. Considering USC’s dominance it makes sense that its conference, the Pac-12, holds a slight edge over the Big Ten.
Rose Bowl Participants and Qualification
During the early years of the Rose Bowl up until World War II the game consisted of one team from the Pacific Coast Conference and another team from eastern U.S. After the war the game consisted of the winners of the conferences that eventually become the Pac-12 and the Big Ten. If the champion of either conference is nominated to the National Championship Game then representatives of the Rose Bowl can select a replacement from the field. Because of the BCS system the game was twice the host of the National Championship game. Since the BCS now has a separate game to determine its champion, it will no longer have the chance to host the championship game.
Rose Bowl’s Location
Since its inception the Rose Bowl has almost always been played in Pasadena California. The only exception was during World War II when the game was played in Durham North Carolina because people feared another Japanese attack on the west coast. The stadium where the game is played is also called the Rose Bowl. During the regular season the Rose Bowl is home to the UCLA Bruins. Before The Rose Bowl was built in 1923 the game was held in Tournament Park, only three miles from the current site. The newest version of the stadium is one of the largest in college football, capable of holding over 90,000 people for a single game.
Rose Bowl Betting
The Rose Bowl is annually one of the most gambled upon games in all of college football. When deciding to wager on this game there are several things to take into consideration, however the stadium does not have a roof so the elements can affect the game. Since the game is played in southern California the weather is not usually an important factor. Something that should be considered is the strength of the two conferences in that particular year. If one conference is especially strong in a year the team representing that conference may have the advantage, even though their record may not show it. Also the playing style of the two conferences must be considered and compared. The Big Ten is traditionally a power style conference that relies heavily on running the ball and defense. The Pac-12 tends to rely on passing to move the ball, which often creates high scoring games. The combination of the two styles may be hard to judge but doing so will help predict the winner.