An interesting quirk of the NFL schedule has a broad-reaching affect, and will cause college football bowl games to alter their own scheduling. The 2011 NFL schedule actually stretches into 2012, with the final games of the year, in week 17, taking place on Sunday, Jan. 1. New Year’s Day, if you’ll remember, is typically one of the finer college football holiday’s as the Rose Bowl and other major bowl games take place throughout the day.
According to Q13 FOX’s Aaron Levine, the NFL schedule will force New Year’s Day bowl games to Monday, Jan. 2. Games that have been played on New Year’s Day for decades and come around like clockwork, will, in essence, be bumped by the NFL.
Because NFL plays final week on Sunday January 1, 2012, the Rose Bowl and most other New Years Bowl games will be played on Monday Jan 2
I haven’t seen this anywhere and have no idea how valid it is, but the news appears to jive with common sense. Typically, New Year’s Day bowl games are the only show in town and aren’t engaged with the NFL in a competition for eyes and ticket-holders.
The last time the Rose Bowl wasn’t played on Jan. 1 came in 2006 as Texas beat USC in the National Championship Game. The last time the Rose Bowl was moved and didn’t serve as the BCS Championship came in 1995 when Penn State and Oregon played on Jan. 2.
For more breakdowns and analysis, check out the rest of our 2011 Seattle Seahawks schedule StoryStream. For more on the Seahawks and more schedule analysis, visit SB Nation’s Field Gulls.