Nine communities "have officially bid" on the '18-20 College Football Playoff title games, and the thee championship sites are "expected to be announced in October," according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. Of the nine cities and communities, Houston and Santa Clara "were the only ones to bid on all three years." None of the first three championship sites -- North Texas, Phoenix and Tampa -- bid on the '18-20 games (ESPN.com, 5/27).
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'18-20 CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BIDS
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'18
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'19
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'20
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Atlanta
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Charlotte
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Charlotte
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Miami/South Florida
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Detroit
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Minneapolis
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Houston
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Houston
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Houston
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Santa Clara
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Santa Clara
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Santa Clara
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San Antonio
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San Antonio
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New Orleans
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New Orleans
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STARTING GUN: CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock yesterday said that the goal "would be to move the game around the country." Hancock: "We're going into this with no prejudice. It's going to come down to stadium, hotels, air service and the ability of a city to put on a big-time event like ours." He added that "no preference would be given" to sites that already host CFP games. Hancock: "The ability of the city to put on a big event and has had big events like BCS games and CFP games could come into play. But in our minds nobody has any advantage in this race. They're all starting from a clean sheet of paper" (USA TODAY, 5/28).
SITE SPECIFICS: In Sacramento, Matt Barrows notes the three CFP title games up for bid "will be Jan. 8, 2018; Jan. 7, 2019; and Jan. 13, 2020," respectively. Those dates "could create a bit of an issue" for Santa Clara's bids if the 49ers are "hosting a playoff game the prior weekend, although that game could be played on Saturday." Levi’s Stadium "hosted three college games last season," including the Pac-12 championship, but "none sold out" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/28). Detroit Sports Commission Exec Dir Dave Beachnau said that the budget for the city's '19 bid "was around" $13M, which "could be raised by the yet-to-be formed host committee, through public and private donations." In Detroit, Rod Beard notes there are "logistical challenges," as Cobo Center "won't be available because of preparations for the auto show." That, however, "will allow for more venues to be used for the other events, including the new Red Wings arena, which is set to be completed" in summer '17 (DETROIT NEWS, 5/28).
