South Florida’s long history of hosting championship games continues as Hard Rock Stadium was the named the site of a future College Football Playoff title game.
The playoff committee selected the stadium for the January 11, 2021 game, crowning the champion for the 2020 season. The Orange Bowl Committee will host the game, which will be played just over one week after the annual Orange Bowl takes place in the same stadium.
It will be the first time South Florida has hosted college football’s national title game since the 2012 season and will continue a long tradition of crowning a champion dating back to the original Orange Bowl stadium – including five titles won by the Miami Hurricanes, Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators in games played at either stadium.
CFP Committee executive director Bill Hancock said recent renovations to the stadium convinced the committee it was time to make a return.
“Of course, South Florida is a great destination, and the people from the Orange Bowl Committee have always been cordial and welcoming hosts,” Hancock said in a statement.
Under the new playoff system in college football, two semifinal games (tentatively scheduled to be the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl that season) will be played around New Year’s Day – with the winners meeting inside Hard Rock Stadium the following week.
The game will be played one year after the stadium will host the NFL’s Super Bowl for what will be a record setting 11th time.
