If you were looking for the 111th edition of "The Granddaddy of Them All," you actually just missed it—or you're looking for the next one. It’s a bit confusing. Because the college football season straddles two calendar years, people often mix up which "2025" they are talking about.
What time is rose bowl 2025? Well, for the game that capped off the 2024 season, it kicked off at 2:12 p.m. PT (5:12 p.m. ET) on January 1, 2025.
That game was a massive deal. It wasn't just another bowl; it served as a College Football Playoff (CFP) Quarterfinal. The Ohio State Buckeyes ended up taking down the Oregon Ducks with a final score of 41-21. If you were sitting in the stands at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, you saw a sun-drenched afternoon that eventually turned into that classic pink-and-purple sunset over the San Gabriel Mountains.
The 2025 Schedule Shift You Need to Know
Here’s where things get tricky for fans looking ahead. If you are actually searching for the Rose Bowl that happens during the 2025-2026 postseason, the rules have changed.
Historically, the Rose Bowl has been fiercely protective of its 2:00 p.m. local start time. It’s part of the brand. But for the upcoming playoff cycle, the CFP and ESPN have struck a deal to move the kickoff up. For the game taking place on January 1, 2026, the kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. ET).
Why the change? Basically, the new 12-team playoff format is a logistical beast. By moving the Rose Bowl up an hour, ESPN can squeeze in a tripleheader on New Year’s Day without the late-night game (usually the Sugar Bowl) ending at 2:00 a.m. on the East Coast.
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Quick Reference: When to Tune In
- Game Date: January 1, 2025 (Completed)
- Kickoff Time: 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Next Game: January 1, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. PT
What Really Happened in the 2025 Game
Honestly, the 2025 Rose Bowl was a bit of a shocker. Oregon came in as the No. 1 seed, having just moved to the Big Ten and steamrolled through their schedule. They had already beaten Ohio State earlier in the season in a nail-biter at Autzen Stadium.
But Pasadena is a different animal.
Ohio State’s freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith basically took over the game. He had two massive touchdown catches in the first half alone. By the time the third quarter rolled around, the Ducks were reeling. It was the first time since 1944 that two teams from the same conference played each other in the Rose Bowl, a weird side effect of the massive conference realignments we’ve seen lately.
Logistics for the Next Trip to Pasadena
If you're planning on going to the next one, don't just wing it. Traffic in the Arroyo Seco is legendary for all the wrong reasons.
- Parking: The lots usually open as early as 4:00 a.m. No, that is not a typo. People take their tailgating seriously here.
- The Parade: The Rose Parade starts at 8:00 a.m. If you aren't in the area by 6:00 a.m., you’re going to be fighting road closures for hours.
- The Weather: It looks warm on TV. It’s not. Once that sun dips behind the stadium rim, the temperature drops fast. Bring a jacket or you’ll end up buying a $90 sweatshirt at the merchandise tent.
The shift in what time is rose bowl 2025 and its successor indicates a new era for college football. The "tradition" of the 2:00 p.m. start is giving way to the "necessity" of the playoff broadcast window. It’s a bit of a bummer for purists who love the specific lighting of a mid-afternoon kickoff, but it's the price we pay for a 12-team bracket.
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To stay ahead of the curve, make sure you clear your entire New Year's Day. With the Orange Bowl starting at noon ET and the Sugar Bowl following the Rose Bowl at 8:00 p.m. ET, it’s a full twelve-hour marathon of football.
Double-check your local listings on ESPN or the ESPN+ app a week before the game to ensure no last-minute "television windows" have nudged the kickoff by another fifteen minutes. If you’re a cord-cutter, services like FuboTV or YouTube TV are your best bets for the live broadcast, as the game rarely airs on ABC these days.