The Rose Bowl Game > The Game > FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions


When did the Rose Bowl Game begin?

  • The Tournament of Roses Association was started in 1890 by the Valley Hunt Club and became a separate organization just five years later.
  • The Rose Bowl Game is known as The Granddaddy of Them All® because the 1902 event was the first national, post-season, collegiate football game.
  • In 1916, the second game was played, after a 13-year hiatus, and football has been an integral part of America's New Year's festivities ever since.
  • The Rose Bowl Game has been a sell-out every year since 1947 - the first game under the Tournament's exclusive agreement with the Big Ten and Pacific Coast, now the Pac-12 Conference.
  • Today the Rose Bowl Game is part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) which guarantees a match-up between college football's top two teams in a true national championship game.
  • The Rose Bowl Game is also a member of the Football Bowl Association.
     

How can I watch the festivities?

  • The Rose Bowl Game is a contractual sellout with the majority of tickets going to the two participating universities. Excellent network television coverage, however, makes the Rose Bowl Game available for all to enjoy.
     

How is the Rose Bowl Game revenue distributed?

  • Revenues are shared fairly, under the simple principle that the conferences represented in the BCS bowls receive the largest portion of the revenues. Conferences then divide revenues as they see fit. All 11 conferences -- plus independent institutions and Football Championship Subdivision conferences -- receive a share of the revenue regardless of whether their team participates in one of the games.

Approximate projections for the 2013 BCS games:

  • The share for an automatic qualifier from one of the five non AQ  conferences (i.e., a conference without annual automatic qualification) will be approximately $28.2 million – 18 percent of the net revenue. (Those conferences have elected to divide the revenue among themselves according to a formula they have devised.)
  • If no team from the non-AQ conferences participates, those conferences would receive approximately $14.1 million – 9 percent of the net BCS revenue.
  • The net share for the automatic-qualifying team from each AQ conference will be approximately $23.6 million.
  • The share for each team selected at-large by one of the bowlswill be $6.2 million.
  • Notre Dame will receive $6.2 million if it participates in a BCS game; its share will be approximately $1.9 million if it does not – 1/66th of the net BCS revenue.
  • Each FCS conference will receive $250,000.
  • If Army, Navy or BYU becomes an automatic qualifier or is selected at-large, it will receive $6.2 million; if not selected, each will receive $100,000.

For more information, please see the BCS Media Guide.