A new era of college football will begin starting with the 2024 season, thanks largely to a drastic overhaul of the conference affiliations we've come to familiarize ourselves with over the years. The Pac-12 as we knew it now ceases to exist. The Big Ten and Big 12 have ballooned to 18 and 16-team conferences respectively, while the SEC was able to pillage the Big 12 and come away with Texas and Oklahoma, adding to what was already the best and most consistent conference in college football over the last twenty years.
Additionally, the 2024 season will be the first in which the College Football Playoff expands from four teams to twelve. For at least the next two seasons, the field will include the five highest-ranked conference champions, as well as the top-seven at-large teams. But from that point on, it's possible that the field expands to fourteen teams.
While the eventual size of the College Football Playoff field is still yet to be determined, the College Football Playoff is beginning to lock in the sights of all future postseason games. And as many expected, Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the cities that has been circled as a likely host of the CFP National Championship Game.
“Supposedly, nothing is ever a ‘lock,’ but Las Vegas is a ‘lock' to host the 2027 game,” a source told Brett McMurphy of Action Network. “It is a done deal. The College Football Playoff has been wanting to get to Vegas for years. We’ll finally get our wish.”
McMurphy went on to explain that Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium is as close to a lock as a lock could be to host the CFP National Championship Game in 2027, discussions are still ongoing to bring the National Championship Game to New Orleans in 2028, Dallas in 2029, and Miami in 2030 — Miami will also be hosting the game in 2026. Houston, Phoenix, and Tampa have been identified as back-up sites if any of those plans were to fall through, reports McMurphy. The CFP is expected to make announcements official in September.
Everything Happens in Vegas
It used to be that Las Vegas was routinely pushed to the side and avoided because of the gambling stigma that has long been associated with the city. However, now that sports betting has been legalized nationally, that stance has not just softened… it's disappeared entirely. Every major American sports league has a partnership with at least one sportsbook. Every pre-game show now features a betting angle. And every single big-time sporting event has Vegas eyed as a potential host.
It was just four months ago that Super Bowl LVIII played in Las Vegas. Next April, Allegiant Stadium will host the two-night flagship WWE event WrestleMania. And the Men's Basketball Final Four is already scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in April 2028. Factor in all the College Football Playoff and all of the major boxing and UFC events that have regularly taken place in Sin City over the years, and it's fair to make the claim that Las Vegas is arguably becoming the sports capital of the world.
Follow Us
Subscribe
