The College Football Playoff is expected to keep one of its two semifinal games at the Rose Bowl as scheduled, but is hoping that the California government will ease its COVID-19 stadium restrictions and allow players' families to attend the game in Pasadena, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said Tuesday night.
"At this moment, the College Football Playoff looks forward to playing one of the two semifinal playoff games at the Rose Bowl, as scheduled," Hancock said in a statement. "As we move forward with our planning, we continue to hope that the Rose Bowl's appeal to government officials to allow the families of student-athletes to attend will be permitted, just as student-athlete families will be welcomed at the Sugar Bowl, the other New Year's Six games and the championship game in Miami."
The CFP's management committee, which is made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, held a videoconference Tuesday evening to discuss the Rose Bowl, with Hancock telling reporters, "Given the realities of 2020, we always reserve the right to make decisions as late as possible.
"For example, what happens if the state of California shuts down entirely and doesn't allow any games? We are keeping our eye on the situation, but are planning to play the semifinal at the Rose Bowl."
Asked if Dallas could be an alternative location for the semifinal if it can't be played in Pasadena, Hancock replied, "I'm not going to speculate about that, but we will be prepared."
Hancock said there are long-standing agreements in place.
"I may be old-fashioned, but I think it's important to honor agreements," he said. "We are planning on playing the game in California and we're hoping the state will fix the situation and allow the families to be there."
While a second CFP meeting is scheduled for Thursday, one source said the group is not expected to discuss the semifinal again this week.
Ideally, though, officials are hoping for the state restrictions to ease.
"Given the vast space inside the Rose Bowl stadium, we are confident that if families were able to attend, they could do so in a safe and socially distant manner," Hancock said in his statement. "For many families, this will be the last chance they have to see their sons play college football. We understand that under California's COVID-19 protocols, fans in general will not be able to attend. We hope the small number of families who want to attend will not be prohibited from doing so."
On Nov. 28, Los Angeles County public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer told ESPN that sporting events, including pro and college football, will "remain spectator-free" after the county announced a stay-at-home order. Before the start of the Pac-12 season, UCLA and USC sought and were denied an exemption that would have allowed family members to attend home games from the county health department.
"Under current California state guidelines, we are unable to allow for spectators of any kind at the game, however, a second appeal has been made at the state level to allow for a special exemption for player and coach guests," a Rose Bowl spokesperson said in a statement. "We continue to work with the College Football Playoff and local health officials to provide the safest possible environment at our game."
ESPN's Kyle Bonagura contributed to this report.