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CFP chairman gives interesting answer when asked why Alabama will be playing in the Rose Bowl instead of the Sugar Bowl
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The College Football Playoff field is set, and Alabama is headed to the Rose Bowl to face Notre Dame in front of a sizable crowd.
The Rose Bowl will be played at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas, this year due to COVID-19 restrictions in California. Thanks to the location change, 16,000 fans will be permitted to attend the game.
That number of fans is what swung the College Football Playoff selection committee into putting No. 1 Alabama in Arlington instead of a much closer trip to the Sugar Bowl.
“The committee decided that the advantage was for the No. 1 team to have more fans able to watch them play,” CFP Selection Committee Chairman Gary Barta said on Sunday afternoon.
In a normal year, the No. 1 seed would be placed in the bowl that’s closest in proximity to their campus.
In the other semifinal, Clemson and Ohio State will play in New Orleans in front of about 3,000 fans.
Here’s a clip of Barta explaining the decision to put Alabama and Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl:
"The committee decided that the advantage was for the No. 1 team to have more fans able to watch them play."
CFP Selection Committee Chairman Gary Barta explains how the semifinal locations were determined. pic.twitter.com/2HXn7a3Old
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 20, 2020
Both College Football Playoff semifinals will take place on Jan. 1, 2021.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
