Source: Rose Bowl An Obstacle Blocking CFP Expansion

The Rose Bowl wants to keep its conventional January 1st game date, which is an issue for College Football Playoff expansion.

The College Football Playoff committee did not reach an agreement on expansion on Friday, so the playoff will remain at four teams through the end of the 2025 season. 

There were three obstacles that prevented expansion, CFP board chair Mark Keenum told Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger.

The first was the format of eight teams versus twelve, and whether or not teams should auto-qualify for winning a conference championship.

The second was the number of extra games that teams would have to play in a given season.

The third?

“We've got a bowl with a keen interest in preserving their date & time. That’s part of the negotiating package with a media provider. Does that add value or cost value for the College Football Playoff?” Keenum asked.

The bowl that Keenum is alluding to is the Rose Bowl, as sources previously discussed with Ross Dellenger.

The Rose Bowl is interested in keeping its scheduled date and time of mid-afternoon on January 1st. But in an ideal College Football Playoff expansion, the Rose Bowl would presumably be in the rotation to host a quarterfinal or semifinal game, which would not take place on January 1st.

With expansion talks now dead for the foreseeable future, this problem is not going to go away for the College Football Playoff. Whenever talks are picked back up on potential playoff expansion, the Rose Bowl problem will still need to be resolved.