The 2026 Rose Bowl will be held on New Year's Day, with the Indiana Hoosiers facing the Alabama Crimson Tide in one of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups.
The Rose Bowl, a historic outdoor venue in Pasadena, California, is typically preceded by a lavish parade, thanks to the city’s usually excellent weather for the first day of the year. In 2026, however, the Crimson Tide and Hoosiers will be battling not only each other but also the elements.
While the Rose Bowl is known for great weather, forecasts call for heavy rain on Thursday, both before and during the quarterfinal game.
Here are the latest weather updates for the CFP quarterfinal between Alabama and Indiana at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
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Alabama vs. Indiana weather updates
This will be updated on the day of the game.
Pasadena forecast for 2026 Rose Bowl
It is going to be a rainy start to the new year in Pasadena, California. The forescast, per AccuWeather, calls for a 99% chance of rain. The description reads, "heavy rain and a t-storm in the morning followed by a couple of showers in the afternoon; watch for flooding; wear rain gear for the parade and football game." The high for the day is 64 with a low of 53.
The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m. PT local time. At kickoff, there is a 60% chance of rain, which continues until 3 p.m. PT. Then, the chance of rain drops to 49% and then 34% at 4 p.m. PT when the game is expected to end.
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Why is the Rose Bowl start time earlier?
The Rose Bowl historically kicked off at 5 p.m. ET, or 2 p.m. PT. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl is now included in the rotation for the College Football quarterfinals and semifinals. This year, the Rose Bowl is part of the quarterfinals and will be played as part of a tripleheader of three quarterfinal games on New Year's Day.
The Rose Bowl was moved up an hour to comply with the two other quarterfinal games. The Orange Bowl will kick off at noon ET, and the Sugar Bowl will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN is broadcasting all the games, and wanted a four-hour window for each game so that one game doesn't run into another.
How often does it rain in Pasadena?
Pasadena averages 20.4 inches of rain annually. The city averages 3.2 inches of rain in January, the second rainiest month of the year. Overall, the city tends to see rain on an average of 36 or 37 days per year.
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