Detroit Puts in Bid to Host College Football Playoff Championship Game
By Zac Snyder
Detroit’s Ford Field will be up for consideration to host the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship Game against five other cities.
The Detroit Lions wanted to raise the profile of the annual college football bowl game hosted at Ford Field so they went about creating their own new bowl game, effectively replacing the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl.
The inaugural Quick Lane Bowl played last December was the first bowl game played in Detroit with both teams coming from major conferences. But the Detroit Sports Commission has eyes on something much bigger than a bowl game between middle of the pack teams from the Big Ten and ACC. Detroit is one of five cities bidding to host the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship Game.
The College Football Playoff announced the bid cities for the 2018-2020 Championship Games, which are as follows.
2018: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Santa Clara
2019: Charlotte, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, San Antonio, Santa Clara
2020: Charlotte, Houston, Minneapolis, New Orleans, San Antonio, Santa Clara
More from Detroit Lions
- Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
- Signing This Former Pro-Bowl CB Would Be Huge Mistake for Lions
- Forecasting the Rest of This Lions Season (Score Predictions)
- Lions Get Exciting Injury Update on Rookie QB Hendon Hooker
- Betting Preview: Best Bets for Lions vs. Packers Thanksgiving Day Game
That’s some stiff competition for Detroit and the thought of a cold weather city hosting any major event during the winter can be a tough sell. That being said, Detroit Sports Commission executive director Dave Beachnau seemed willing to embrace the cold when commenting about the city’s bid. Via MLive.com:
"We’re confident, I think based on our track record and history of hosting successful, major events. The Super Bowl was held in a similar time of year, and we won’t hide the fact that it’ll be cold and it’ll be in January, so we won’t really have to answer that question.I think (the city provides) a uniqueness, sort of like it did with the Super Bowl, and there are some assets that we can showcase in and around Ford Field."
The Super Bowl was widely regarded as a success and the Downtown area has undergone huge changes even since that time. Even more changes will have occured by 2019, including the M1 light rail up and down Woodward and the opening of the new Red Wings arena, which could also be used for indoor event space.
We’ll find out in October if Detroit is selected.
Next: Quandre Diggs Making Good Early Impression