Pasadena allows Rose Bowl name to be used in Texas
PASADENA — The College Football Playoff semifinal in Texas will be allowed to call itself the Rose Bowl Game, but Pasadena officials don’t want the New Year’s event relocated in the future.
The Pasadena city council agreed Wednesday to allow the Tournament of Roses to move the game to Arlington, Texas, on New Year’s Day. No. 1 Alabama will play fourth-ranked Notre Dame in the first CFP semifinal at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.
The Tournament of Roses will pay the city $2 million to help Pasadena with its expenses and lost revenue as a result of the game being relocated.
But Pasadena
officials said the game “will not relocate again from Pasadena, unless it is forced to due to a national emergency.”
It’s the first time the game won’t be played in Pasadena since World War II. The Rose Parade was canceled.
The state of California twice rejected requests by the Tournament of Roses to allow limited fans in attendance at the 95,000-seat venue. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated at an alarming rate in Los Angeles County.
Officials in Texas will allow about 16,000 fans to watch the game.
Clippers rebound from 51-point debacle to top Wolves 124-101
LOS ANGELES — Lou Williams led seven Clippers in double figures with 20 points and Los Angeles routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-101 on Tuesday night in a game missing stars for both teams.
The Clippers bounced back from a 51-point shellacking against Dallas two days earlier despite playing without Kawhi Leonard for the second straight game because of a mouth laceration. Minnesota big man Karl-Anthony Towns sat out with a dislocated left wrist.
Paul George added 18 points, Serge Ibaka had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Luke Kennard scored 15 for the Clippers.
D’Angelo Russell led the Timberwolves with 22 points. Malik Beasley added 19 and Ricky Rubio had 17. Jarrett Culver equaled his career high with 10 rebounds.
The Clippers led by 20 at halftime and 31 in the third quarter on Williams’ threepoint play. That’s when they made six 3-pointers, including four in a row, with George hitting two of his three in that stretch.
Williams’ points came off the bench to go with 12 by Ivica Zubac, helping the Clippers’ backups outscore the Minnesota reserves 56-32.
Browns close facility, delay practice after 2 positive tests
CLEVELAND — The Browns didn’t begin preparing for the Steelers on the field but rather via Zoom calls.
Hardly ideal before their biggest game in decades.
Cleveland had two more positive COVID-19 tests on Wednesday — including one for an assistant coach — throwing its schedule into disorder as the team gets ready to play Pittsburgh on Sunday with a spot in the playoffs riding on the outcome.
The Browns, who have nine players currently on the COVID-19 reserve list, will make the postseason for the first time since 2002 with a win.
The team has not yet identified the positive player and coach Kevin Stefanski would not reveal which of his staff members may have to miss the season finale.
After learning of the positive tests, the team closed its facility for several hours to do contact tracing and Stefanski said players were doing virtual meetings — something that has become standard in 2020.
The NFL is monitoring the Browns’ situation to determine whether the game needs to be moved.
“We will follow the medical guidance,” said Dawn Aponte, the league’s chief football administrative officer. “At this moment we are planning to play on schedule and will take it from there. As always we try to remain flexible and adaptable, and everything remains on the table. As we continue to get the info, we will address it and assess it accordingly.”
The Browns finally got league clearance to re-open their facility at 3:30 p.m.
They were scheduled to start practice at 4:30 p.m. and Stefanski said earlier it was possible the Browns will do their on-field workouts in shifts — offense and defense alternating time on the field — as they’ve had to do previously this season.
ESPN’s Herbstreit to call CFP from home after catching virus
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to call the College Football Playoff semifinal between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State from home.
Herbstreit posted Tuesday night on Twitter that he was feeling good and his family was OK.
He said he will still be part of “College GameDay” on the morning of Jan. 1 and on the call of the Sugar Bowl with play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler in New Orleans that night.
Indianapolis heads into critical game without LT Castonzo
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts will try to make the playoffs Sunday without left tackle Anthony Castonzo.
Coach Frank Reich announced Wednesday the former Pro Bowler will undergo season-ending surgery on his right ankle Thursday. Reich did not explain how the Colts will fill Castonzo’s spot on their injury-plagued offensive line.
“I’m not going to go into that right now from a competitive advantage standpoint,” he said. “But we have a plan A and a plan B and we will wrap it up and confirm it on Friday.”
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Indy (10-5) needs a win over reeling Jacksonville (114) on Sunday and a loss by either Baltimore, Cleveland, Miami or Tennessee to make the AFC’s expanded seven-team playoff field.
Clemson OC Elliott won’t coach in Sugar Bowl
Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott won’t go to the Sugar Bowl due to COVID-19 protocols.
The team announced Wednesday that Elliott, who is also the running backs coach, would not travel with the team to New Orleans and would be unavailable when the second-ranked Tigers (10-1; No. 2 CFP) face No. 3 Ohio State (6-0; No. 3 CFP) on Friday in a College Football Playoff semifinal. It did not say if he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
There was no immediate word on whether one person such as quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter or a group of offensive assistants would collaborate on the game plan against the Buckeyes.
Elliott, a former Clemson receiver, has been on coach Dabo Swinney’s staff since 2011. He was co-offensive coordinator with Jeff Scott from 2015 through last season, when Scott became USF’s head coach.
Clemson’s offense led the Atlantic Coast Conference at 44.9 points a game and with 343.8 yards passing per game this season.