Playoff sites to be picked this week
Cowboys Stadium viewed as front-runner to host first final
With the how and when of college football playoffs determined, it’s time to lock in the where.
The conference commissioners in charge of putting together the four-team playoff system that will start after the 2014 regular season will meet starting today in Pasadena, Calif.
At the top of their agenda: Pick three more bowls to be used in the semifinal rotation and decide on a site for the first national championship game. The Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls are already part of the six-bowl semifinal rotation.
All signs point toward the Fiesta, Cotton and Chick-fil-A bowls as the overwhelming favorites for the playoff rotation. Only one other bowl – the Holiday in San Diego – even put in a bid to be part of the system that will replace the BCS.
BCS executive director Bill Hancock said there was plenty of interest even though it didn’t result in bids.
“I talked to 10 or 12 bowls about it,” he said. “I think for various reasons … many … decided they’d rather go in a different direction. Some wanted to stick with their conference contracts, others couldn’t meet specs for 55,000 seat stadiums.
“We’re not disappointed with the numbers. We have good options and there are terrific stadiums.”
As for the site of the first national championship game, set for Jan. 12, 2015, the front-runner is Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of not only the Dallas Cowboys but the Cotton Bowl.
Tampa, Fla., also put in a bid.
The new postseason system will also get a name this week.
“It will be simple,” Hancock said. “It will not be cutesy. And it will be descriptive. I’ve seen too many people make mistakes by trying to be cutesy.”
Also on the agenda will be the selection committee that will pick the final four.