How do Rose Bowl teams get picked?

POOL OF SIX BOWLS: After the Citrus Bowl selects a team, there will be a pool of six bowls and the Conference, in consultation with the institutions and the bowls, will make the assignments for these six bowl games from all eligible SEC teams. read more

In years when the Rose Bowl is not a College Football Playoff semifinal game and the Big Ten or Pac-12 champion is selected to play in the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl Game selects the next best team in the conference. read more

So OU, which had the most impressive bowl win in 2013 against Alabama, would not have even had the opportunity to play in one of the CFB Playoff major bowls if the system had been in place. Even though Clemson ranked lower than OU, the Tigers get a bid to the Orange Bowl because of their tie-in to the ACC. read more

The Rose Bowl Game, officially the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual for sponsorship purposes, and more frequently known as simply the Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. read more