[Mick]

On Monday, January 1, Michigan and Alabama will meet in the Rose Bowl. Now that the Pac-12 has been reduced to the Pac-2 (plus whoever they can drum up from the MWC and the AAC and Independents and...), I thought I would ask a nostalgia-based question regarding the Rose Bowl that we're never likely to see Stanford participate in again.

First, a few Rose Bowl facts. Michigan was in the first Rose Bowl Game in 1902, facing Stanford. It wasn't played again until 1916, and Alabama participated in six Rose Bowls (1926, '27, '31, '35, '38 and '46) before Michigan returned to the Rose Bowl for a second time in 1948. Alabama is returning for their seventh appearance, Michigan is returning for their 21st appearance.

Here's the history: back when the Pac-12's predecessor conference leaders negotiated with the leaders of the Big 9 conference over the course of (no joke) eight years to agree that the winners of the respective conferences would meet in the Rose Bowl on January 1. Both conferences felt a kinship; e.g., both the PCC and the Big 9 were integrated; the SEC wouldn't become integrated until 1966 and the Cotton, Orange and Sugar Bowls wouldn't become integrated until 1948, 1955 and 1956 respectively. The agreement was concluded in 1946 for a five year term with the first Rose Bowl being played under the agreement on January 1, 1947.

Here's the question: In light of the dissolution of the Pac-12 and the myriad votes that led it to that deeply unsatisfactory conclusion, please note that four teams from the PCC and Big 9 voted against the Rose Bowl committing the winners of the PCC and Big 9 facing each other in the Rose Bowl.

Who were the four schools? And if you choose, why did they vote against the agreement?

Bonus question: Which school dropped out to make the Big 10 the Big 9, and which was the last school to join the Big 9 to again make it The Big 10?

Extra bonus question: Big Nine was the informal name of the conference. What was the conference's technical moniker?

Chicago out, Michigan State in

Correct. And the formal name of the Big 9/10 was the Western Conference. Without irony, presumably.

Three hints as to the answer to the main question. 

Hint #1: two teams each from the PCC and the Western/Big 9 Conference voted against the Rose Bowl arrangement pitting the conference champions against each other...but for two very different reasons. 

Hint #2: part of the reason had to do with Army/West Point.

Hint #3: in a bit of irony, the two teams that met in the first year of the pact, January 1, 1947, were two of the teams that voted against the arrangement.

[Mick]

On Monday, January 1, Michigan and Alabama will meet in the Rose Bowl. Now that the Pac-12 has been reduced to the Pac-2 (plus whoever they can drum up from the MWC and the AAC and Independents and...), I thought I would ask a nostalgia-based question regarding the Rose Bowl that we're never likely to see Stanford participate in again.

First, a few Rose Bowl facts. Michigan was in the first Rose Bowl Game in 1902, facing Stanford. It wasn't played again until 1916, and Alabama participated in six Rose Bowls (1926, '27, '31, '35, '38 and '46) before Michigan returned to the Rose Bowl for a second time in 1948. Alabama is returning for their seventh appearance, Michigan is returning for their 21st appearance.

Here's the history: back when the Pac-12's predecessor conference leaders negotiated with the leaders of the Big 9 conference over the course of (no joke) eight years to agree that the winners of the respective conferences would meet in the Rose Bowl on January 1. Both conferences felt a kinship; e.g., both the PCC and the Big 9 were integrated; the SEC wouldn't become integrated until 1966 and the Cotton, Orange and Sugar Bowls wouldn't become integrated until 1948, 1955 and 1956 respectively. The agreement was concluded in 1946 for a five year term with the first Rose Bowl being played under the agreement on January 1, 1947.

Here's the question: In light of the dissolution of the Pac-12 and the myriad votes that led it to that deeply unsatisfactory conclusion, please note that four teams from the PCC and Big 9 voted against the Rose Bowl committing the winners of the PCC and Big 9 facing each other in the Rose Bowl.

Who were the four schools? And if you choose, why did they vote against the agreement?

Bonus question: Which school dropped out to make the Big 10 the Big 9, and which was the last school to join the Big 9 to again make it The Big 10?

Extra bonus question: Big Nine was the informal name of the conference. What was the conference's technical moniker?

Chicago out, Michigan State in

Correct. And the formal name of the Big 9/10 was the Western Conference. Without irony, presumably.

Three hints as to the answer to the main question. 

Hint #1: two teams each from the PCC and the Western/Big 9 Conference voted against the Rose Bowl arrangement pitting the conference champions against each other...but for two very different reasons. 

Hint #2: part of the reason had to do with Army/West Point.

Hint #3: in a bit of irony, the two teams that met in the first year of the pact, January 1, 1947, were two of the teams that voted against the arrangement.