Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Prominent voices associated with college football are pushing a suggestion that might deserve consideration.
Across all sports, only a few venues demand preservation for future generations. Baseball's Fenway Park and Wrigley Field rank high on the list, along with the Augusta National golf course in Georgia and Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
As special as they are, all rank a notch or two below the stadium that resides in Arroyo Seco near the base of the San Gabriel Mountains east of downtown Los Angeles. All things considered, the Rose Bowl Stadium in the most beautiful location in all of sports.
Kicking off shortly after 2 p.m. local time traditionally on Jan. 1 each year, the setting for the actual bowl game on a glorious sunny day is unmatched in college football. Last week's game between Michigan and Alabama, which was designated as a semifinal in the four-team playoff, provided another classic example of the location's spectacular visual.
For decades, the game pitted the champions of two premiere conferences — the Big Ten and Pac-12 — against each other. With a few prior exceptions and now going forward, due to all the changes in the sport, the game will become part of the playoff system that likely will include teams from many conferences participating in it.
Like it or not, the Big Ten vs. the Pac-12 died when the clock flashed all zeroes in Penn State's win over Utah last year. Still, the Rose Bowl deserves better than serving as a quarterfinal or semifinal in the 12-team playoff format that starts next season.
Aligning with some big names, maybe it's time to make the venue the permanent location for the annual championship game. Kirk Herbstreit, one of the leading experts on the sport, endorses such a plan.
On the social media platform X, the lead ESPN analyst wrote: "I've been saying this for years and I'll say it one more time. As the world of CFB changes in so many ways I really wish the leaders and decision makers would just make the (Rose Bowl) the host for the National Championship EVERY YEAR!! The setting-beauty-field-and-history of that place is unparalleled. Last (week) was another chapter in its long and incredible history of memorable moments."
Longtime broadcaster Tim Brando followed up by writing: "Never thought I'd say this 20 years ago, but you're absolutely RIGHT. The (Rose Bowl) is to CFB what Augusta National is to (The Masters)."
And then there's Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt: "I 100 percent agree with (Herbstreit). It is one of the most iconic brands in American Sports and possibly the greatest American Sports venue. Creating an iconic destination for the whole sport that is connected to its history is a must!"
As with any great idea, this one has pitfalls. For starters, a championship game would never allow the natural beauty of location to literally shine through. For the sake of money — what else would it be? — television demands the game start long after the winter sun sets, thus denying the majestic reflections off the mountain range to the west.
Fans and spectators would still enjoy the warmth of the sun during the parade down Colorado Boulevard and over the hours leading up to the game. But the entirety of the beauty would be sterilized by game time.
If it were any way possible, to collect every dollar, rows of light towers would align the fairways of Augusta National every April to extend the Masters tournament into the primetime viewing hours. Be grateful it hasn't come to that.
For all its incredible scenery, as tens of thousands of Utah fans can attest to, a packed Rose Bowl is not entirely spectator friendly. Thank goodness UCLA — which plays its home games in the 102-year-old facility, which has undergone numerous renovations — lacks a passionate fan base to fill the stadium, which lacks the amenities and logistics to handle a capacity crowd.
In the end, the idea of staging the final game in the literal national historic landmark is probably nothing more than a fantasy. But if your team ever got there, what a dream it would be.
