College Football Playoff’s Tight Schedule Squeezes Out Pasadena Restaurant Family’s Time-Honored Tradition

The Rose Bowl, traditionally a time for pageantry and pre-game festivities, has undergone a metamorphosis this year due to the expanded College Football Playoff format. The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday, just three days before their New Year’s Day clash, setting up a time crunch that has squeezed out the usual Lawry’s Beef Bowl and Disneyland traditions.

The Beef Bowl, which had been a cherished pre-Rose Bowl tradition since 1956, won’t take place the week.

The event, held at Lawry’s The Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills, involved the teams dining separately on prime rib. One player from each squad would conduct the ‘salad spin’ and perform the ceremonial first cut of prime rib.

Lawry’s was founded in 1938 by Pasadenans Lawrence L. Frank and Walter Van de Kamp. Members of the Frank family have lived in Pasadena since then, including Richard R. Frank, who served as President and CEO until 2020 and is a Polytechnic School alum.

The Beef Bowl was older than all but the Rose, Orange, Sugar, Sun, Cotton, Gator and Citrus bowls. Organizers billed it as college football’s most enduring pre-bowl game tradition.

The timing shift resulted from the new playoff system, which altered the schedule for teams competing in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

“As part of the new expanded College Football Playoff, the schedule for teams in the quarterfinal and semifinal games has changed,” Karen Linhart, the Rose Bowl Game’s Director of Marketing & Media told City News Service.

While acknowledging the unfortunate loss of these time-honored events, Linhart emphasized the need to prioritize the teams’ well-being.

“With the potential (for) a team to play in as many as four games,” she said, “the College Football playoff worked closely with conference commissioners to implement a schedule that would work best for the participating teams.”

This year’s Rose Bowl holds immense significance. It marks the first quarterfinal game in the 12-team College Football Playoff’s inaugural season, a significant change from the previous four-team format.

The Ducks, undefeated and boasting a 13-0 record, secured the top seed and a first-round bye after their December 7th triumph over Penn State in the Big Ten championship game. The Buckeyes, the eighth seed, punched their ticket to the Rose Bowl with a convincing 42-17 victory over Tennessee in the opening round on December 21st.

This matchup is a rematch of the October 12th game in Eugene, Oregon, where the Ducks emerged victorious 32-31 thanks to a last-minute field goal by Atticus Sappington.

Oregon boasts a rich history in the Rose Bowl, with this appearance marking their ninth and fifth since 2010. They hold a commendable 4-4 record and have emerged victorious in their most recent three appearances, most notably defeating Wisconsin 28-27 on New Year’s Day 2020.

Ohio State is no stranger to the Rose Bowl stage, having made 16 appearances – the third-most of all time. They hold a respectable 9-7 record, most recently defeating Utah 48-45 in their 2022 appearance.

The winner of this Rose Bowl battle will face the victor of the Peach Bowl game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on January 10th.