USC’s Win Means a Bit of a Loss for Business

The Rose Bowl has the nation’s marquee team, the one with the 34-game winning streak, going for its third consecutive national championship and trying to complete a wire-to-wire stay at No. 1.

But it comes at a price.

About $3 million to $4 million, according to Tournament of Roses officials.

That’s how much less of an impact the Jan. 4 USC-Texas matchup will have on the Los Angeles-area economy than last season’s Texas-Michigan game did, even though that game wasn’t for the bowl championship series title.

The difference?

Two out-of-town teams compared to one.

When Texas and Michigan played, they brought an estimated 600,000 people into the region, according to game and parade officials attending Saturday’s USC-UCLA game at the Coliseum.

“Having a hometown team cuts into hotel stays and restaurants and travel,” said Libby Evans Wright, the president of the Tournament of Roses, “but on the other hand it’s also sort of a dream game. With two 12-0 teams, it’s the kind of game football fans across the country are looking for.”

Considering last January’s Texas-Michigan matchup provided an economic boost of about $300 million, officials said, a loss of $3 million to $4 million is hardly crippling.

Said Bill Johnston, chairman of the Rose Bowl management committee: “I can’t think of anything better for the Rose Bowl, the town of Pasadena, and the whole community.”

As for UCLA, after their 66-19 loss Saturday the Bruins are probably headed for a Dec. 30 Sun Bowl date with Northwestern, and El Paso would be happy to have them.

Even though UCLA does not have a reputation for taking many fans on the road, the Sun Bowl won’t be depending on that anyway. Both teams are required to sell -- or buy -- 8,000 tickets.

The rest are available to the general public, who usually gobble them up. Last year’s Arizona State-Purdue game was sold out.

Rather than worry about finances, Sun Bowl organizer Jimmy Rogers said Saturday he was hopeful that a shootout between two high-powered offenses would make for an entertaining game.