The Rose Bowl. It's the one remaining symbol of the old age of college football, that still healthy New Year's tradition of parades down Colorado Boulevard and Pasadena sunsets where Big Ten sturdiness meets Pac-12 innovation. Although at times there have been some modifications to that format (TCU!), for the most part it remains the same as it's always been.
When it's come down to the subject of playoffs, the Rose Bowl has caused a lot of concern for both these conferences. They know the value of the game to both conferences. They know how much it means to their fans that they get a chance to play on January 1st in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains. To get a plus-one that all parties have long sought after, the Rose Bowl tradition must be preserved.
But if change is coming, a Final Four of Football detached from the bowls might be a good way to preserve the best tradition in the sport.
Most years, the leagues’ champions would continue to meet in the Granddaddy of Them All. If one or both teams were plucked out for the new playoff, the Rose Bowl would be able to replace them and maintain the traditional matchup.
There's still no denying the power of codger old Delaney, who has maneuvered with the newcomer Scott and the Pac-12 to together create a future inter-conference rivalry in the regular season to extend from the original Rose Bowl game setting. Now with both the Pac-12 and the Big Ten standing for playoffs, both conferences should maintain their upward trend in the power games of big conferences
Both conferences share similar desires to blend both academic and athletic excellence to maintain the ideal of the student athlete. Both have (or will soon have) their own networks to distribute the premier content of their conference. And both want to keep the Rose Bowl. These two conferences seem tied in the hip at whatever decision is made.
Both Big Ten and Pac-12 have tried to stay as close to the top as possible in the power races of the big time conferences, yet their luster has faded these past few years. Perhaps together, they can provide the grandiose leap toward progress for all parties to become fully invested on the outside.