MAIN Football College Football College Bowl Rose Bowl

Nothing beats the competition seen in college football. The games are hot and the sport is alive throughout the season with the best teams going on to play in the college bowl games.

The big bowl game at Pasadena is the annual Rose Bowl played at Rose Bowl Stadium. The "granddaddy" of all the bowl games, the first one was played in 1902 with a string of more than 90 Rose Bown gridiron battles delighting fans since 1916.

Even before the game, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade kicks off in the morning celebrating the New Year and a new Rose Bowl battle. The 2010 Rose parade theme is aptly named "A Cut Above the Rest" and takes place on Friday, January 1, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. featuring spirited marching bands, floral floats, and high-stepping horses marching down Colorado Boulevard.

This year watch two top college teams meet for the ultimate college football showdown, airing live from Pasadena on January 1, 2010 on ABC beginning at 4:30 PM ET.

Rose Bowl Trivia & Fun Facts

• In 1902, the Tournament of Roses Association decided to enhance the day's festivities by adding a football game. Stanford University accepted the invitation to take on the powerhouse University of Michigan, but the west coast team was flattened 49-0 and gave up in the third quarter. The lopsided score prompted the Tournament to give up football in favor of Roman-style chariot races. Thankfully they changed back to football in 1916 and the rest is football history.
  

• The Great Rose Bowl Hoax was one of the most elaborate and successful football pranks ever pulled off. Cal Tech may not have been playing on the field, but they managed to get the cheerleaders to give a great tribute to their ingenuity.
  
  
• Jim Plunkett with Stanford in 1971 and the Oakland Raiders in 1981 is the only player to win a Rose Bowl most-valuable-player award and a Super Bowl MVP.
  
  
  

On the Web

Rose Bowl Game - Tournament of Roses - The official site with team profiles, TV schedule, ticket information and travel packages, maps & seating diagrams & directions to Rose Bowl stadium, plus check out a complete wrap-up of last year's Rose Bowl action in feature stories & photo galleries.

Welcome to Rose Bowl Stadium - Pics, virtual tour, seating guide, ticket purchase.

Rose Bowl Game - Wikipedia entry on the game with history, stats, winners, pictures and related links.

also see -> 2010 Orange Bowl | 2010 BCS Championship