Cowboys Stadium will host the first ever College Football Championship Game, playoff organizers officially announced this evening.
The game will be played on Monday, January 12, 2015 and will feature a match-up of the winners of the semifinal games. It was previously announced that the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will host the semifinal games in 2015.
“The first championship game of the College Football Playoff era is going to be very special, and Cowboys Stadium is a wonderful place to host the first game,” said Hancock. “We’re also pleased to announce the three other bowls that will be part of the College Football Playoff, because rotating the event means more fans in more cities can experience it in person. Each day that passes by is one day closer to the College Football Playoff era,” Hancock said.
The Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Chick-fil-A Bowl will also be included in the six-bowl semifinal rotation for the new College Football Playoff. ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reports that the Chick-fil-A Bowl may have to change their name to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in order to be included in the playoff.
“College Football Championship Game” was also announced as the official title of the championship game. The locations for the championship games after the 2015 and 2016 games will be announced in September.
The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will host the first two semifinal games on Thursday, January 1, 2015. The two games will pit the no. 1 seed vs. the no. 4 seed and the no. 2 seed vs. the no. 3 seed.
The higher seeded team in semifinal games will get home field advantage. For example, if USC is the no. 1 seed and LSU is the no. 4 seed after the 2014 season, the game will be played at the Rose Bowl.
Seeds will be determined by a selection committee, but the particulars of that committee have yet to be determined. According to Hancock, the committee meets again on June 19 in Colorado Springs and then again in September in Chicago.
Below is more information on each bowl selected for the new College Football Playoff. In years that they don’t host a semifinal game, their match-up will be determined by the selection committee.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will host a semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2016, Dec. 31, 2019, Dec. 31, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2025.
Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl will host a semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2015, Dec. 31, 2018, Dec. 31, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2024.
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl will host a semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2016, Dec. 31, 2019, Dec. 31, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2025.
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl will host a semifinal game on Dec. 31, 2015, Dec. 31, 2018, Dec. 31, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2024.
Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl will host a semifinal game on Jan. 1, 2015, Jan. 1, 2018, Jan. 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2024.
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl will host a semifinal game on Jan. 1, 2015, Jan. 1, 2018, Jan. 1, 2021, and Jan. 1, 2024.