Orange Bowl committee’s focus shifts to double dose of playoffs in 2026, including title game

MIAMI The excitement inside the Orange Bowl committee was palpable when they found out in 2017 that Miami and Hard Rock Stadium would be hosting the 2021 College Football Playoff national championship.

It was their first opportunity to be the site of the title game since the sport changed to its new format ahead of the 2014 season after being part of a steady rotation for the championship.

One problem: When the game finally arrived, the world was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pomp and circumstance that normally surrounds a championship game was non-existent.

Capacity at Hard Rock Stadium was capped to about 20 percent.

The fact that the game was played at all Alabama beat Ohio State 52-24 is something Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms in hindsight called one of the great accomplishments I think in the history of the Orange Bowl committee and in the history of postseason college football down here.

Five years later, Poms and the Orange Bowl committee will be getting a second chance.

All eyes are going to be on Atlanta on Jan.

20 when it hosts the first national championship game of the 12-team College Football Playoff era between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

No.

7 seed Notre Dame advanced after erasing an early 10-point deficit for a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday in a game that featured three ties and three lead changes in the second half, capped by a go-ahead 41-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with seven seconds left.

No.

8 seed Ohio State beat No.

5 seed Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl on Friday.

But Miami is next in line, set to host the 2026 title game.

Poms said the Orange Bowl committee was very intentional about wanting another chance at hosting a national championship and a real opportunity this time to showcase the pageantry around what is a typical College Football Playoff national championship game that wasnt viable when Miami hosted the first time around.

Here we are, Poms said.

Were excited about it because we know its going to be the full gamut.

Leading into the 2021 championship game, before things were altered by the pandemic, Poms said the committee talked with other host cities Atlanta and Tampa among them to get an idea for how they handled preparing for the title game in the new format.

Under previous formats, host cities knew the championship teams well in advance and thus had more time to figure out logistics with each institution.

In the playoff format, the two teams arent finalized until a little more than a week before the title game.

It was a new world, Poms said.

We had to learn.

They have that knowledge in their back pocket as they prepare for next year, although theres a new wrinkle added this time around.

With the 12-team playoff, the Orange Bowl will also be a quarterfinal for the tournament.

So Hard Rock Stadium next year will host a second-round playoff game on Jan.

1 and the national championship 18 days later on Jan.

19.

Needless to say, Poms and the Orange Bowl committee will be quite busy next year as they play an integral role in wrapping up the college football season.

We dont think theres any better place to stage postseason college football than South Florida, Poms said.

Its the best time of year to be down here, and the people down here love college football.

Its going to be a great celebration.

Its also going to be the kickoff to what will be a busy year for South Florida on the national sports stage.

In addition to the Orange Bowl quarterfinal and the national championship game, the Florida Panthers will be playing the New York Rangers in an NHL Winter Classic on Jan.

2 at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins.

In March, loanDepot park will play a part in all three rounds of the World Baseball Classic, including hosting the semifinals and final just like it did in 2023.

And in June and July, Hard Rock Stadium will host seven games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a quarterfinal and the third-place game.

And that doesnt even factor in the usual annual events held down here, including F1s Miami Grand Prix, NASCAR at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the Miami Open tennis tournament, among others.

South Florida is going to shine, Poms said.

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