Delany: Rose Bowl changes unlikely
Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany does not envision the Rose Bowl abandoning its New Year’s Day spot in order to accommodate the College Football Playoff semifinals.
He said there might be “some movement from the bowls” but not by “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
“I realize the challenge,” Delany said Tuesday at Big Ten media days. “There may be changes in the offing, but I wouldn’t expect those changes to impact the Rose Bowl.”
The College Football Playoff is considering moving future semifinals off New Year’s Eve after ratings for last season’s games dropped in a big way. Playoff executive director Bill Hancock told reporters two weeks ago at the SEC media days that the commissioners who comprise the playoff management committee are open to adjusting future schedules .
“We have some good options,” he said, adding they are “getting close” to a resolution.
ESPN drew record ratings for the inaugural playoff after the 2014 season, starting with the Rose Bowl that kicked off around 5:30 p.m.
But the semifinal ratings fell 36 percent last season, the first of eight times in a 12-year contract with the network that places the semifinals on New Year’s Eve. Many people were still at work in December when the Orange Bowl between Oklahoma and Clemson started at 4:30 p.m.
“One option could be finding a different day for the semifinals when they’re not played in the Rose and Sugar Bowls, which our research so far has shown us that that’s doable,” Hancock said.
Baylor
A woman who said she was raped by two Oregon State football players and two other men in 1998 shared her story Monday with the Baylor football team.
Brenda Tracy’s talk with the Bears came two months after a 13-page report said Baylor failed to properly handle accusations of sexual assault, including some against former football players.
After hearing about Baylor’s case, Tracy had called for the NCAA to shut down the football program.
Tracy told ESPN Central Texas radio that Baylor football and basketball players were engaged and paying attention, and that she told them that they have an opportunity to exact real change and be an example to follow. She was invited to campus by Baylor acting head football coach Jim Grobe, who replaced Art Briles within days after the report from the Pepper Hamilton law firm.