CFP Championship organizers are planning a “Championship Campus” in downtown Phoenix with a "mix of free concerts and ticketed events over four days leading up to" the Jan. 11 game at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, according to Ronald Hansen on the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Among them is a “Playoff Fan Central” at the Phoenix Convention Center, an event "intended as a celebration of college football similar to the NFL Experience that has become a staple of Super Bowl festivities." After hosting Super Bowl XLIX in February, organizers "are copying much of the playbook for fans, tourists and VIP visitors who will make their way to the Monday night college title game." Arizona Organizing Committee co-Chair Brad Wright said, "We started about a year ago. We stayed under the radar as the Super Bowl folks were doing their thing. We watched what they were doing and learned some of the best practices, what worked and what didn't. So you'll see a lot of similarities." Hansen notes one new event will be the CFP Foundation’s "Extra Yard for Teachers, a fundraising event for local educators." Top chefs from Arizona and elsewhere "will put on a 'Taste of the Championship' to benefit that initiative." Meanwhile, Wright said that sponsors "are beginning to lock in their involvement," and local officials are going over the logistics of moving people around the region and ensuring security" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/25).
