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Sports Dec 27, 2023
Disneyland decorated for the holidays. | Photo by Devon Christopher Adams CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED
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The Alabama and Michigan football teams will visit Disneyland Wednesday, the first event leading to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Disneyland visit by the Rose Bowl teams continues a tradition begun in 1959, four years after the park opened.
Michigan’s roster includes three players from Orange County — sophomore defensive lineman Mason Graham, a former Servite High School standout who was a 2023 first-team All-Big Ten selection in voting by coaches and a third-team selection in the media vote; senior backup offensive lineman Jeffrey Persi, a starting offensive tackle at JSerra Catholic High School in 2018 and 2019; and junior receiver Cristian Dixon, a Mater Dei High School alum who has played in four games this season but has not made a catch.
The roster also includes two players from Los Angeles County — freshman defensive lineman Cameron Brandt, a former Sierra Canyon High School standout who has made two solo tackles and assisted on two other stops in 12 games, and junior quarterback Davis Warren, a Loyola High School alum who has thrown five incomplete passes in three games this season.
Alabama’s roster includes two sophomores from Orange County who have not played in any games during their college careers, receiver MJ Chirgwin, a Huntington Beach High School alum, and punter Nick Serpa from Foothill Ranch, a Trabuco Hills High School alum.
The roster also includes one player from Los Angeles County, senior receiver Jermaine Burton, a former Calabasas High standout who leads the team with 777 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches and is third among Football Bowl Subdivision players in yards per reception, averaging 22.2 yards per catch.
Another Rose Bowl tradition will be renewed Thursday when Michigan participates in the Beef Bowl at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Rose Bowl teams have dined at the Beverly Hills restaurant annually since 1956, except for 2020 and 2021 when the event was canceled because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Beef Bowl is billed by organizers as college football’s most enduring pre-bowl game tradition. It is older than all but the Rose, Orange, Sugar, Sun, Cotton, Gator and Citrus bowls.
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