(INDIANAPOLIS) – Indy won’t have to wait long for the national sports spotlight to turn here again. College football’s national championship game is seven months away.
Indy is working on plans similar to when Lucas Oil Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2012, with concerts, a fan festival, and a “championship village” atmosphere downtown. But host committee president Susan Baughman notes the Super Bowl is largely a corporate and celebrity event, while the college championship is a magnet for the schools involved, and their fans. She says the vibe of championship week will reflect the difference, with a vision of sending fans home feeling like downtown was all about them for the week.
Indy is preparing for a championship game at full capacity. But board chair Mark Howell says a host committee subgroup is working on contingency plans if the pandemic gets worse again, reviewing how the city handled the NCAA basketball tournament and the Indy 500.
The College Football Playoff Foundation and ESPN will be making monthly visits to Indy to make sure everything’s ready for the game on January 10.
Indy will learn who’s playing in the game on New Year’s Eve, when the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl host the two semifinal games.
