Dallas

College Football Playoff Organizers Unveil Big Plans for Fans

1st CFP Championship Game offers plenty for fans.

Organizers of the new College Football Playoff say there’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it – their first ever National Championship game must be one for the history books. And that mission goes beyond the confines of AT&T Stadium.

“You know, in the old days, you could just have a game and that would be enough, but no more,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff. “It’s so cool that we can make the whole weekend available to people in the community.”

Friday, they announced three major events that will take place during championship weekend, which is Jan. 9-12.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will host a Texas-sized fan fest called “Playoff Fan Central.” Inside, fans will have access to more than 500,000 square feet of interactive experiences, player appearances and a full scale 100-yard football field. Fans will also be allowed to sit in on Media Day, which will be held there.

A multi-day concert series called “Playoff Playlist Live!” will take place at the American Airlines Center. The lineup won’t be released until October, but organizers say it will feature several “A-List headliners.”

Unlike the Final Four concert series, fans will have to purchase tickets to attend this event. However, organizers said they will be “reasonably priced given the high-end talent.”

On Jan. 12, fans with tickets to the championship game will get to enjoy a championship tailgate that will feature food, beverages, live performances and pep rallies with the participating teams’ cheerleaders and bands.

“It’s so exciting,” said Hancock. “Lots of people have lots of work to do to get ready. But we will be ready.”

Meanwhile, crews are getting AT&T Stadium ready for the first weekend of college football. Defending National Champion and top-ranked Florida State will open the season at Jerry World in a marquee matchup with Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

Big XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who attended Friday’s announcement, said these are the types of games everyone should want to see as this new era of college football gets underway.

“To demonstrate you’re among the best, you have to play the best,” said Bowlsby. “Those are the kinds of games we ought to be playing.”

He hopes the conference shows up in those big games, so that a Big XII team can hoist the new championship trophy in January and give their fans a chance to experience everything organizers have planned.

“It might be particularly pointed this year and would certainly make it more fun if one of the two teams was a Big XII team,” said Bowlsby.”

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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