CFP National Championship sites announced: 2018 Atlanta, 2019 Santa Clara, 2020 New Orleans

Submitted by Leaders And Best on

The College Football Playoff committee announced the sites for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 National Championship games today.

2018 - Atlanta

2019 - Santa Clara

2020 - New Orleans

Detroit and Minneapolis struck out.

MI Expat NY

November 4th, 2015 at 2:28 PM ^

No idea.  All I know is that if anyone in the Big Ten used the idea of local Championship Games as a basis for not pushing for on-campus semifinals, they were obviously sold a bill of goods.

Of course, I'm not sure that was even necessary as the most important thing to the Big Ten always seemed to be protecting the sanctity of the Rose Bowl.  A ship that sailed years ago...

One last point, it will also be interesting to see if, as playoff participants start to repeat fan willingness and to travel in numbers are sufficient to justify "neutral" venues for these games.  

ak47

November 4th, 2015 at 3:25 PM ^

Sponsors don't want big games in the big ten footprint because people don't want to travel there in January.  I know you all like detroit but nobody wants to go there for a week or weekend on vacation on top of the game.  People like going to Atlanta, New Orleans, and what is inherently San Francisco for trips in January.  The goal is to make money, not competitive balance.

MI Expat NY

November 4th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^

I get that this is true.  My point is it shouldn't be true.  It's largely not true for the NCAA basketball tournament.  Why must it be true for the CFP?  Unlike the NFL, college athletics should still be true non-profits.  Leaving a little money on the table in order to achieve other goals and represent more of your stakeholders isn't too much to ask.  

robpollard

November 4th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^

TV and the schools (all of them).

1) These are essentially made for TV events. This is not like the bowls, started in southern locales to get people to travel by horse and by train to visit Pasadena, New Orleans and Miami.

Look at bowl attendance now -- with certain exceptions, even the big bowls have tens of thousands of empty seats. And many people from the Midwest can't be bothered to travel all the way to Orlando, Phoenix etc to see a game unless it is for a top-tier bowl.

So ABC does not care where it is -- they will pony up the same amount, just the same. And they are the ones literally paying for this.

2) Beyond all of that, the schools in the north should give a rip about this. Their fans are the ones who are required to shell out for airplane tickets (instead of short car rides), take longer away from work, and are put at a disadvantage. And now they have to potentially do it twice in 15 days.

If having a game in Minny or Detroit makes it so all these conference commisioners have to dive into a 95-foot vat of ABC cash, instead of one that is 96-foot, b/c a few less sponsors want to host off-site events, I think they can spare the money.

mgobluth

November 4th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^

Not surprised at all to see Detroit left out. Atlanta is getting a new stadium, Santa Clara opened its new stadium last year, and New Orleans has the Sugar Bowl history and is a great city for traveling fans (was at the sugar bowl in 2011-NO is easily in my top 5 favorite cities after that trip). No Minneapolis is a little more surprising seeing as they'll have a new stadium, but Detroit had an uphill battle here.



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MI Expat NY

November 4th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^

Sure, those locations are all fine in isolation, as are the ones previously chosen (possible exception of Tampa).  But the point is that this shouldn't be the NFL choosing a Super Bowl site.  Having a pleasant locale or fancy new stadium shouldn't be the guideposts for making a selection.  The College Football Playoffs rely on fan bases traveling in heavy numbers, both for economic purposes but also to give a true neutral site championship game.  Thus, the top priority for selection should be geographic rotation of the championship site.  Especially given the complete lack of semifinal games in the northern two thirds of the country.

creelymonk10

November 4th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^

Just claimed they want to move the game around, saying they have the first 6 in 6 different states (Texas, Arizona, Florida, Atlanta, California, Louisiana). Unfortunately seems pretty consistent to keep it south and west like the previous BCS games. 

Also just said our convention center not being available for use was a factor in Detroit not getting it. For Minnesota, didn't want to be 3rd in line after a Superbowl and Final Four hosted there.

creelymonk10

November 4th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^

 

He may have said that's why Detroit didn't bid for other years, but I thought in the video, the speaker, when asked why not Detroit, distincly said something to the effect of Detroit not having the convention center available, and having to use outside tents instead was a factor. I'm curious to see the transcript of that to make sure now.

EDIT: Quote from the Detriot News: “One thing that happen to Detroit was in this case, the convention center was not available,” Hancock said. “To their credit, they made other space available, but just because of that with other cities is what made difference, quite frankly.”

stephenrjking

November 4th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^

Two in the SEC footprint, with another (Tampa) already scheduled there. One in the Pac 12 area, not horrifically far from the one scheduled in Glendale.

At least Dallas is nominally Big 12 territory, but even that is not a hard trip for the spoiled children of the ESSSS EEEEE SEEEEE.

This stinks.

Noleverine

November 4th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^

I look forward to driving 30 mins to see Michigan in the 2019 NCG, and watching 9ers fans all despondent, wondering what might have been had management not been a total shitshow.

FrankMurphy

November 4th, 2015 at 2:54 PM ^

I'm also in the Bay Area and I'm circling January 7, 2019 on my calendar (with my neck sharpie).

I'm not much of a 49ers' fan, but I don't want to see them suck forever. Of all the options Harbaugh had available to him at the end of his 49ers tenure, Michigan was the only job they were okay with him taking (since he was still under contract at the time), so I can't be too mad at them. 

kevin holt

November 4th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^

can we talk for a minute about how annoying that shit is when they say "random town, CA" and it means "San Francisco" or the Bay Area? Isn't Santa Clara just San Jose essentially? And if not, why?

I mean Brooklyn is technically a different city but everyone would say NYC if the Barclays Center was hosting a Final Four

 

kevin holt

November 4th, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^

Yeah just looked it up, you're right. It used to be a separate city. (Edit: I lived there so I know it's a borough but I was told it's also a separate city; I guess they meant it used to be and feels like it (it does))

Even saying Brooklyn would be accurate though (Brooklyn Nets) but Santa Clara is where the 49ers play, right? They're not the Santa Clara 49ers. My point is any time you say a city name that is also known as SF or LA, I hate you and you are wrong

stephenrjking

November 4th, 2015 at 4:20 PM ^

This brings up an interesting contrast: while we get shafted on college football, the prevalence of Domes in our region has meant that we have had a disproportionately high number of Final Fours within driving distance. And, thanks to the Indianapolis arrangement, will continue to do so. California and the Northeast, on the other hand, get almost nothing. Doesn't make up for it, but it's worth noting.

FrankMurphy

November 4th, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^

Brookyn is not its own city, it's a borough of NYC. Santa Clara, on the other hand, is a separate city entirely distinct from San Jose.

But if they use "Santa Clara, CA" instead of "SF Bay Area" in the branding and promotion when the 2018 season rolls around, I agree; that will be annoying