College football hotbeds Tampa and Glendale to host football national championships in '16 and '17
Glendale Arizona, home of the University of Phoenix Fightin' Students Who Were Tricked Into Taking Out Non-Dischargeable Student Loans and Tampa, Florida, home of a fake pirate ship, were awarded the 2016 and 2017 national championship games. The schedule of the semifinals for the next twelve years is also below. As one would expect, they are all in warm-weather locations, meaning that fans from the midwest will inevitably face the prospect of having to travel long distances twice if their team makes it all the way to the championship game. Also, as you may remember, the Chick-fil-A (no politics!) and Cotton Bowls are on par with the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls under the new regime.
Additional note: Jerry Jones Stadium will host next season's game. (Hit the scoreboard with a punt at your own risk!)
Semifinal schedule with locations:
• Rose and Sugar bowls: Jan. 1, 2015; Jan. 1, 2018; Jan. 1, 2021; and Jan. 1, 2024.
• Orange and Cotton bowls: Dec. 31, 2015; Dec. 31, 2018; Dec. 31, 2021; and Dec. 31, 2024.
• Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls: Dec. 31, 2016; Dec. 31, 2019; Dec. 31, 2022; and Dec. 31, 2025.
December 16th, 2013 at 4:49 PM ^
They gave the Outback Bowl the freaking national championship game.....?
Okay. So when is Detroit getting it? 2018? Then Brent can say "this one is for all the pizza".
December 16th, 2013 at 6:06 PM ^
Don't you mean the "Pizza, Pizza?"
December 16th, 2013 at 4:53 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^
Except for the fact that Raymond James Stadium also host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
December 16th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
and USF... hey, it's a college stadium!
/s
December 17th, 2013 at 8:43 AM ^
Isn't their replay screen still black and white?
December 17th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ^
at the Outback Bowl last year some of the video cut off the players heads. That stadium need a lot of work.
December 16th, 2013 at 4:55 PM ^
When are we going to get one of these in the midwest. None of the semifinals or first three championship games are north of Arlington.
December 16th, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^
Bigger question: when are we going to get campus playoff games? This goes for football and NCAA hockey.
Apples to oranges but that whole neutral site idea for a regional sport sure has worked well....
December 16th, 2013 at 5:00 PM ^
There were, what, two or three campus sites listed in the upcoming slate ('16 and '17, I think?) that were announced last week...
December 16th, 2013 at 5:24 PM ^
Didn't see that, thanks. Just saw where the Frozen Fours would be held in those years.
Is there a clear reason why Yost can't host regionals anymore? Or is there even a ban period?
I've heard everything from the profanity in the chants to the building not being up-to-date enough for the NCAA. And those reasons sound like hooey to me.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:38 PM ^
It's the language thing, which directly plays into the fact that every other team in those regionals bitched like crazy when Michigan rode the home-ice advantage to the regional championship.
Yost now has enough lockerrooms (and has for nearly a decade), and it seems the capacity issue isn't nearly as much of a dealbreaker as it used to be (which is good, because Yost was a few thousand short).
Long story short, the NCAA remains very wary of campus sites if they can help it, but it seems they're willing to bend the rules for certain rinks in certain places. Just not us, and definitely not NoDak.
December 17th, 2013 at 7:34 AM ^
Is there any reason Joe Louis isn't ever considered for a regional site?
December 16th, 2013 at 5:04 PM ^
On-campus playoff games in football would be awesome. My buddy played for Mount Union who has hosted a whole bunch of playoff games. There is definitely something to be said for a playoff game in December in the snow. Hopefully, the Super Bowl in New York goes really well this year and the NCAA takes notice.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^
Blasphemy!!! Playoffs and on-campus sites are the devil. Only outdated bowl commissions can effectively run this system and do so with the most utmost integrity.
/disregards the glowing reports from lower divison students/schools who say its the bee's knees
/also disregards the giant money maker that is March Madness which..you know has regional sites that are often within a hour's drive of the top schools.
/lights up pipe and re-adjusts monocal
December 16th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
I hope the selection committee at least sends SEC teams out west and Pac 12 teams south when they can. Alabama shouldn't get to play in Florida or Georgia, for example.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:00 PM ^
Tampa is whatever, fine, but I fucking can't stand that they're letting the semi final sites host the final. I don't give a shit that it's in off years... they might as well just rotate the damn thing like they do now for all the effort.
San Francisco should've won the 2017 bid.
December 17th, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
for the title alone.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
Random question -- If a team advances to the NC game, do their players received twice the swag? I mean, everybody needs 2 PS4s.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:01 PM ^
I miss the old way. Can we go back?
December 16th, 2013 at 5:08 PM ^
^ this. Until we get a true playoff of 12 to 16 teams with home site games for higher seeds I'd prefer the pre bowl coalition/alliance method.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:08 PM ^
The current BCS which will be the "old way" next year? The previous "old way" which was the Bowl Alliance? The older "old way" which was the Bowl Coalition? Or the even older "old way" which was just a bunch of random bowls with random voters voting randomly for random teams to win random polls?
December 16th, 2013 at 5:13 PM ^
The old way where a mediocre season didn't mean you were rewarded with a prestigious game. The old way where TV money didn't drive many of the decisions. I know it is unrealistic, but it just doesn't feel right, even with the BCS it didn't.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:37 PM ^
Crowning a champ by having a four team playoff is only slightly less absurd than just giving it the old eyeball test. You really can't have a sound playoff unless you include too many teams to make the thing practical (and destroy much of the meaning of the regular season). I say embrace the fictional nature of the national championship, which shouldn't (IMO) be the end-all be-all of a college football season anyway.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:46 PM ^
You read my mind.
December 17th, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^
I liked the old way in which the polls were held at the end of the regular season with the bowl games being nothing more than a fun excuse to go visit some place warm during the holidays.
Actually, giving a shit about a national championship seems only fit for southerners & Notre Damers as far as I'm concerned. And sacrificing the traditional Rose Bowl is not worth it. Guess that's why I'm pretty much done with college football.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:14 PM ^
with the idea that i will never attend any of these games, for several reasons.
:(
also, i am pretty sure that there is an undisclosed agreement between the sponsors of the stadium and the ncaa to continue/ramp up advertising during games. similar to the power of Ford to keep the lions in the thanksgiving day spotlight.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:06 PM ^
Tampa? I don't get it. Spent a summer there back in 2003 and deemed to to be one of the worst large cities in America. Strip clubs are nice, and Ybor City would be fun for a college kid (assuming they don't get shot / left there overnight).
But otherwise? Yeeesh. Also, if you look at the ESPN article, the capacity is only 66k, compared to 72k in Glendale and roughly 100k in Jerry's World. Having been to both Dallas and the Phoenix area, I can say those are places you would much rather spend a grand or two on vacation as well.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:54 PM ^
To each his own I guess. I recently relocated to Tampa and have absolutely loved it. The only thing that sucks is the traffic. Now I have another event to look forward to.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:47 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 8:08 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 10:02 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 5:18 PM ^
How do the seedings work out for these things? If we were to end next season ranked # 1, would we be sent to Pasadena or New Orleans for the bowl game.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:29 PM ^
The committee that selects the teams will also be responsible for seeding them, if I remember correctly. USA Today actually tried to simulate this with their "Football Four" feature this year, and taking the resulys of the championship games into mind, seeded Auburn and FSU #2 an #1 respectively, but theorized that the #2 Auburn would probably play a rematch of the Iron Bowl in the playoff against a #3 Alabama, where as #1 would get #4, or the winner of the BTCG - Michigan State. It seemed like a reasonable projection for this year, if it had happened.
December 16th, 2013 at 11:45 PM ^
I'd imagine we'd be sent to Pasadena unless the #4 were from the Pac-12, we have a big west coast fanbase.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:33 PM ^
can be hosted at the Meadowlands in an open stadium, then college FB can damn sure have their championship game in a northern open air stadium from time to time.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:39 PM ^
The SEC would bitch a fit if the championship game was north of the mason dixon line in an open air stadium. Saban would probably say something about how it isn't safe for his players.
December 16th, 2013 at 5:58 PM ^
"player safety" was the REAL reason he left State and went to the SEC, not because he got frustrated with his school being "second-fiddle" to us.
/s
December 16th, 2013 at 6:30 PM ^
he had a concern about shrinkage.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:00 PM ^
The selection committee clearly watched the Eagles-Lions game last week.
December 16th, 2013 at 6:51 PM ^
Are they actually playing these games on New Year's Eve or is that date just a placeholder?
December 16th, 2013 at 7:00 PM ^
and it totally snubs 2017.
December 16th, 2013 at 11:47 PM ^
Yes, they'll be played on New Year's Eve so that the Rose and Sugar won't have competition on New Year's Day.
December 16th, 2013 at 7:01 PM ^
At least pretend like the committee acknowledges that the Big Ten exists. Every other conference has a tie-in in their region but the B1G
December 16th, 2013 at 7:26 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 8:10 PM ^
December 16th, 2013 at 11:50 PM ^
None of the non-NY6 bowls will be affected the Rose Bowl will continue to be a Pac-12/B1G affair in years when it's not hosting a semi unless one team's conference champ is in the playoff, in which case the selection committee would choose the replacement from their top 25, presumably favoring the next available team from that conference.
December 16th, 2013 at 8:23 PM ^
on ESPN.com. I would guess the Cotton/Orange simifinal years are 2017, 2020, 2023 and 2026 (although ... isn't that WAY past the contract period? ... I digress)
January 1 falls on a Sunday in 2017, hence the December 31 date. I have no idea why the years with the Fiesta and Peach bowls would be December 31 though. I think that may be another typo.
Those are my best guesses ... those dates are very confusing. Not filling me with confidence, this College Football Playoff thing.
December 16th, 2013 at 11:52 PM ^
No, it's always been December 31. Because otherwise they'd have to shift the Rose Bowl off of January 1 so it wouldn't compete with the two playoff games. The Sugar Bowl also wants to move to NYD, so the other playoff games are on NYE to keep the NY6 branding.