They decide who plays in the Rose Bowl using a mix of conference contracts and College Football Playoff (CFP) rules, mainly involving the Big Ten and the (former) Pac‑12 champions or highest‑ranked available teams. When the Rose Bowl is a CFP semifinal, the CFP selection committee assigns two playoff teams to it instead, regardless of conference.

Traditional setup: Big Ten vs. Pac‑12

In a “traditional” Rose Bowl year (when it is not hosting a CFP semifinal), the game is contractually tied to:

  • The Big Ten champion
  • The Pac‑12 champion

If both conference champions are available (not taken by the Playoff), they go to the Rose Bowl. This tie‑in dates back to the 1940s and is one of the longest continuous bowl–conference agreements in college football.

What if a champion makes the Playoff?

If the Big Ten or Pac‑12 champion is selected for the CFP (which now uses a 12‑team format), that champion goes to the playoff instead of the Rose Bowl. In that case:

  • The Rose Bowl looks to that conference’s next‑highest ranked team in the CFP rankings, as long as it is bowl‑eligible.
  • The strong preference of the conferences and the Tournament of Roses is to take the highest‑ranked available team to keep the matchup elite.

How they break “clusters” and close calls

Sometimes several teams from the same conference are bunched close together in the rankings (a “cluster”). In that case, the Rose Bowl can choose the team that creates the “best possible matchup,” using factors such as:

  • How recently a team has played in the Rose Bowl (avoiding repeats)
  • Head‑to‑head results
  • Overall record and strength of schedule
  • Past bowl or playoff appearances and performance
  • Historical or attractive matchups for fans and TV

This gives the committee flexibility so the game stays competitive and fresh while still respecting rankings.

When the Rose Bowl is a CFP semifinal

In years when the Rose Bowl hosts a CFP semifinal, the normal Big Ten–Pac‑12 tie‑in is set aside. Instead:

  • The CFP selection committee chooses the 12‑team playoff field and seeds them.
  • Two of those top seeds are assigned to the Rose Bowl as part of the rotating semifinal schedule, even if neither is from the Big Ten or Pac‑12.

That is how teams like LSU (SEC) and Clemson (ACC) have played in the Rose Bowl in playoff years.

Basic requirements for any team

To be chosen for the Rose Bowl at all, teams must:

  • Be bowl‑eligible with at least six regular‑season wins
  • Rank highly in their conference and, in modern years, in the CFP rankings
  • Fit either the traditional tie‑in rules or the CFP semifinal assignment for that season

In short, the answer to “how do they decide who plays in the Rose Bowl” is:

In non‑playoff years, it’s usually the Big Ten and Pac‑12 champions or their highest‑ranked substitutes, with some flexibility for the best matchup; in playoff years, it’s whatever two CFP teams get assigned there as a semifinal.

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Wondering how do they decide who plays in the Rose Bowl? Learn how Big Ten and Pac‑12 champions, CFP rankings, and semifinal rotations determine the latest matchups in college football’s “Granddaddy of Them All.”

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