Big Ten AD says UCLA, USC additions reduce the significance of the Rose Bowl: 'It's not the same now'

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Playing in the Rose Bowl was the pinnacle of a college football career for those who coached and played in the Big Ten for decades.

The Rose Bowl's importance has been waning for years as college football's postseason evolved. The latest expansion by the Big Ten puts the future of the Pac-12, the conference's longtime Rose Bowl partner, in doubt and was another damaging blow to the Granddaddy of all the bowls.

"You have to adapt," former Wisconsin coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez said Tuesday at Big Ten media days in Lucas Oil Stadium. "When I got into the league, every kid that played in this league, your vision was play the Rose Bowl and win the Rose Bowl.

"It's not the same now. It's the CFP. It's get into the playoffs."

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A view of the trophy after the Rose Bowl game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on January 1, 2022 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.  (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The future of the Rose Bowl as a showcase game, mostly featuring teams from Big Ten and Pac-12 on New Year's Day, was already murky as the College Football Playoff creeps toward what seems like an inevitable expansion from the current four-team format.

"The Rose Bowl will always be an important part of the Big Ten," said Alvarez, who now works for the conference as a special advisor to Commissioner Kevin Warren.

Now that the Big Ten has poached Southern California and UCLA from the Pac-12, it remains to be seen if the West Coast's Power Five conference will still be an important part of the Rose Bowl.

"I focus on the Big Ten," Alvarez said. "When we went