The next round of CFP games have already been scheduled through '24GETTY IMAGES
CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock said that it would "be awhile" before a potential title game or NCAA Final Four could head to Las Vegas in wake of the Supreme Court's ruling on sports betting, according to Lindsay Schnell of USA TODAY. The latest round of CFP games have been scheduled through '24, and Hancock said that it will "likely be 'at least two years, maybe more, before we start thinking about the next round' of site selection." Hancock added that Las Vegas currently "does not have a facility that could accommodate a national championship football game." Construction on a new stadium to accommodate the Raiders' move from Oakland is "scheduled to be completed" by fall '19 (USA TODAY, 5/16). The ruling "opens the door for the NCAA to start holding championship events in Las Vegas," though it will first have to "remove from its bylaws language that prohibits championship events in Nevada." Las Vegas Events President Pat Christenson said that his organization "bid to host three NCAA championship events" during the NCAA's last bidding cycle: wrestling, hockey and a men's basketball regional. Longtime college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli has "lobbied for the NCAA's women's tournament to scrap its current format of four regional sites and bring all 16 teams together in Vegas for one major showcase event." Antonelli said, "It could be ingrained in the community like baseball and softball are with their championships. I don't think Omaha and Oklahoma City started out as destination cities -- the NCAA brought sports to communities that wanted them. Vegas already is a destination city" (USA TODAY, 5/16).
