There are 136 FBS football teams and this year, there are almost as many incredible games.

College football is nothing if not pageantry. With tailgating scenes that go on for hours before — and sometimes after — games, there may be no scene like it in sports This year, SportsTravel has built the ultimate weekend road trip that can last a full season.

One rule: You can’t go to a site more than once. But you will see a blend of historic stadiums, atmospheres, rivalries and high-stakes matchups if you follow our list.

Week Zero

Saturday, August 23: Kansas State vs. Iowa State (in Dublin, Ireland)
This Big 12 rivalry has one of the best names in sports — Farmageddon. The game has occurred every year since 1917, making it one of the longest continuous series in college football history. However, this year’s edition will be far from the farms of Iowa or Kansas, as these two ranked teams take their conflict to Dublin and Aviva Stadium that will have the full attention of the college football world. —Justin Shaw

Week 1

Saturday, August 30: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State
Texas and Ohio State is not only a rematch of the 2025 Cotton Bowl, which was a College Football Playoff Semifinal, but it features two of the most storied teams in the sport battling in the Horseshoe. This clash of top 3 teams will be Arch Manning’s debut as the full–time starter for the Longhorns, with the excited Texas fanbase traveling to Columbus to mix with Buckeye red–clad Ohio State fans still reveling in the team’s national title. —Justin Shaw

Sunday, August 31: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami
In 1988, No. 1 Miami traveled to No. 4 Notre Dame for what became one of the best college football games of all time. The “Catholics vs. Convicts” narrative and a pre–game fight in the tunnel catapulted this rivalry to new levels, as it remains hostile today. This year, Notre Dame and its large fanbase will invade South Beach as the Fighting Irish scuffle with the Hurricanes in a top 10 clash to open the season. —Justin Shaw

Week 2

Saturday, September 6: No. 14 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma
Still getting used to the notion of Oklahoma (and Texas for that matter) in the SEC? Well, get over it. The fans at OU are certainly trying to, after finishing (gulp) 13th in the conference last year. In this one in Norman, they get the chance to get on the right track against a resurgent Michigan team that has had to battle off-field drama this offseason, resulting in recent penalties for their years-old sign-stealing scandal. Regardless of their recent histories, these are two storied programs facing off with two fan bases that will settle for nothing less than a national title. —Jason Gewirtz

Week 3

Saturday, September 13: No. 5 Georgia at No. 24 Tennessee
SEC stadiums tend to only do things big. And they don’t get as big as Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee. Of course, when the Volunteers are doing well, the stadium looms even larger. With Georgia — a perennial favorite to win it all — headed to town, expect heightened urgency and intensity for a battle that may well determine playoff positioning way down the road when the calendar hits December. —Jason Gewirtz

Week 4

Saturday, September 20: No. 14 Michigan at Nebraska
No matter the record (and don’t ask about some of the recent records), the stands in Lincoln Memorial Stadium are filled with red for every Cornhusker home game. Nebraska football is steeped in tradition and devotion and the fans live and die with every snap. On this day, the maize and blue of traveling Michigan fans may make the panorama look a bit different. And being unranked at the moment, this is a perfect chance for Nebraska to make an early statement in the Big Ten. —Matt Traub

Week 5

Saturday, September 27: No. 8 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia
The air will be thick with humidity no matter the time of kickoff and the air will also be full of anticipation as two of FBS’ most dynastic programs of this century face off. The past few years may have featured the greatest combined group of potential NFL talent in any college football game and whoever wins this game typically has its sights even closer on a national championship run. There are games that matter and stadiums that have tradition; few matter more than this one to the two fan bases and few stadiums are as revered as the one where the Dawgs play between the hedges. —Matt Traub

Saturday, September 27: No. 7 Oregon at No. 2 Penn State
That this is a conference game speaks to the depth of the top four leagues in college football and also its absurdity given it would take 41 hours to drive from Eugene to State College. There’s also the attraction of whatever outfit the Ducks will wear going against the decades-long tradition of plain blue jersey and white helmet (with some slight changes over the years) for the Nittany Lions. On gamedays in State College it becomes one of the biggest cities in the commonwealth and on this day, certainly the loudest. —Matt Traub

Week 6

Saturday, October 4: No. 4 Clemson at North Carolina
The Carolina Blue always feels and seems a bit calming, don’t you think? For basketball, the Tar Heels have fought the label of being the “wine and cheese” crowd and in football, even with some spurts of success, it hasn’t certainly had the reputation of being a feared place to play. But this isn’t Chapel Hill anymore, it’s Chapel Bill as in Belichick and the legendary NFL coach’s arrival on campus should juice up any matchup, particularly one with the highly ranked Tigers coming to town and a fan base that enjoys setting up shop in a rival’s stadium on Saturdays. —Matt Traub

Week 7

Saturday, October 11: No. 18 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Texas (in Dallas)
It’s always a party when these two teams come together — at least at the tailgate, which coincides with the Texas State Fair. After the fans consume plenty of fried food and beverages outside the stadium, the atmosphere inside the Cotton Bowl becomes electric. The venue is split right down the middle, with half painted crimson and the other half burnt orange. The Red River Rivalry is a must attend for any college football fan. —Justin Shaw

Week 8

Saturday, October 18: USC at No. 6 Notre Dame
Aside from a three–year period during World War II and during 2020, these two fierce rivals have played every year since 1926. The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh is scheduled to be played through 2026, but after that, one of the best cross–sectional rivalries in college football may cease to exist as USC has been hesitant to schedule future contests. Notre Dame Stadium celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, as it welcomes the Trojans to South Bend for perhaps the final time. —Justin Shaw

Week 9

Saturday, October 25: No. 19 Texas A&M at No. 9 LSU
There’s been more than a few earthquakes caused in Baton Rouge by the explosion of fans screaming and jumping late into the night as the hometown Tigers try to maintain their status as a national powerhouse. The tailgating scene is famous and can be something to enjoy for a day … or two .. or maybe three or four? There’s also the chance that you could see a live Tiger prowling the sidelines, which is also something that only happens in college football and is also the potential stuff of nightmares. —Matt Traub

Week 10

Saturday, November 1: Army at Air Force
There is something special about football games involving the military academies. And with Air Force having one of the most stunning settings for football in the country at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, games in Colorado Springs feature not only the rivalry on the field but the beauty of the mountain setting to make it all feel just right. This year, the new Hotel Polaris is open at the entrance to the Air Force Academy for those lucky enough to get a room in the closest hotel to campus. And a new Air Force visitor center will also be open this fall, adding yet another reason to make the road trip to see if the Falcons can fly high. —Jason Gewirtz

Week 11

Saturday, November 8: Eastern Washington at Montana
Don’t think that this is some “normal” FBS program where you can show up and expect to find a ticket on gameday; the Grizzlies drew an average crowd of 26,978 in 2023 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, where the home team has a .890 winning percentage. Instead, get your tickets in advance and enjoy one of the traditional powerhouses in college football, one that won more games in the 2000s than any other program and can hang with the big boys of FCS, having beating nationally ranked Washington in 2021. —Matt Traub

Week 12

Saturday, November 15: Ithaca at Cortland
The annual game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland in Upstate New York was famously nicknamed “the Biggest Little Game in the Nation” by Sports Illustrated. As the colors turn on the leaves throughout the mountains in the region, there is no way you can step on the Ithaca campus without first checking to make sure you’re not wearing red — and the same with blue on the Cortland campus. In 2019, the game was moved to MetLife Stadium and drew 45,161, the type of crowd a Jets or Giants late-season game would wish it could get nowadays. The next year at Yankee Stadium, more than 40,000 attended. —Matt Traub

Week 13

Saturday, November 22: No. 24 Tennessee at No. 15 Florida
Volunteers and Gators in The Swamp. This one may yet play a factor in the hard-fought SEC with two heavyweights preparing to face off. Tennessee may bring its fair share of orange-clad fans to Florida, but will it be the orange and blue that win the day? With a planned renovation to The Swamp nearing final approval — a move that might reduce seating — this is the time to get into one of the rowdiest experiences in college football while you can. —Jason Gewirtz

Week 14

Friday, November 28: No. 19 Texas A&M at No. 1 Texas
Last year was Year 1 for these longtime rivals to find themselves in the SEC together and Texas marched into Kyle Field for the victory. Can the Aggies play spoiler this time around at Texas? Make no mistake about the rivalry in this one. The Aggies faithful take pride in some of their most beloved cheers that are aimed at the Longhorns – something they shout at every game regardless of opponent, regardless of the fact they went years without playing. With Texas entering the season as an early favorite to win it all, this one will be full of drama as A&M tries to spoil the fun. —Jason Gewirtz

Saturday, November 29: No. 3 Ohio St. at No. 14 Michigan
A rivalry that burned hot especially in the 1970s has continued to burn at mercury’s temperature. With both teams claiming national titles the past two years and knowing the path to another goes right through each other, the fandom is rabid. Winning this game could even mean as much as a national title (especially if you beat your rival on the way to their title run). Watch out for planted flags, too, especially at the end of the game. They’ve been known to incite some additional action. —Matt Traub

Week 15

Saturday, December 13: Army vs. Navy (in Baltimore)
M&T Bank Stadium will be the site for a matchup that provides more prestige and pageantry than any other college football contest. The President of the United States has been known to attend the Army–Navy game, which includes flyovers and tens of thousands of cadets and midshipmen in the crowd. The Commander-in-Chief Trophy is sometimes on the line in this spectacle, which features those who will be fighting for their country after their football careers have ended. —Justin Shaw

The University of Michigan football program could be heading to Germany to kick off the 2026 season.

The Wolverines would potentially play Western Michigan at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, on August 29, which would be the first game played by Michigan football outside of North America. The matchup with the Broncos was scheduled to be played at Michigan Stadium on September 5, 2026.

“We are in advanced discussions to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for our student-athletes and fans,” said Warde Manuel, Michigan director of athletics. “The University of Michigan is one of the few worldwide brands in college athletics and the interest in playing an international game would be unique. This would be a great opportunity to teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany.”

Deutsche Bank Park is home for Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga. The retractable roof stadium has a capacity of 55,000 seats and was opened in 1925. Deutsche Bank Park hosted NFL two regular0season games during the 2023 season which saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts topple the New England Patriots.

“I am excited about the football and educational experience this game could provide for our players,” said Sherrone Moore, Michigan coach. “We are always looking for unique opportunities to expose our student–athletes to other cultures. In the last 10 years, our program has been to Italy, France and South Africa, and this game would provide another chance to grow our international fanbase.”

The potential Germany game would also be the first time that Michigan has played a Mid-American Conference school at a location other than Michigan Stadium.

According to a report commissioned by Destination Ann Arbor, the 2024 University of Michigan football season generated $226.7 million in direct visitor spending from attendees residing outside Washtenaw County.

On average, each home game contributed approximately $28 million in direct visitor spending to the local economy. When modeled to include indirect and induced effects, the total economic impact of the season reached $283.4 million. Spending by out-of-county visitors supported 2,198 local jobs, generated $12.9 million in tax revenue and resulted in an estimated 100,496 hotel room nights.

“During National Travel and Tourism Week, it’s important to recognize the vital role that travel plays in keeping our local economy strong and Michigan Football is a major driver of economic impact here in Washtenaw County,” said Sarah Miller, president and chief executive officer of Destination Ann Arbor. “This study helps us tell that story with real data — showing how tourism supports jobs for our residents, generates tax revenue and strengthens the quality of life in our community. We’re proud to have institutions like the University of Michigan contributing to the success of our visitor economy.”

The study was funded by Destination Ann Arbor, and conducted by Future Partners. It found that total economic impact (including indirect and induced effects) averaged $35 million per game. Spending by out-of-county visitors supported $97.7 million in wages for local hospitality and tourism workers. Spectators who traveled from outside Washtenaw County spent an average of $256.34, resulting in an estimated total economic impact of $320.48 per person.

“We are proud to highlight the positive and lasting impact that Michigan football home games have on the Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County communities,” said Warde Manuel, Michigan director of athletics. “Game days at Michigan Stadium generate significant economic activity, attract thousands of visitors and infuse the region with a sense of vibrancy and pride.”

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal will kickoff on New Year’s Eve on December 31 before a quarterfinal tripleheader on New Year’s Day as the organization has announced the dates and kickoff times for the final three rounds of the postseason.

Details including first round dates, times and networks will be announced later this year. The quarterfinals will begin December 31 with the Cotton Bowl Classic in Texas before a tripleheader on January with the Orange Bowl (noon ET), Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (4 p.m.) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (8 p.m.) all starting earlier than their traditional windows.

“This New Year’s Day schedule adjustment is the result of a thoughtful collaboration between the CFP, ESPN, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “All three bowls shifting their start times allows us to place each game in an ideal window on New Year’s Day and provide the optimal viewing experience. New Year’s Day and college football are synonymous with each other, and these changes only strengthen that relationship.”

The semifinals will be January 8 at the Fiesta Bowl and January 9 at the Peach Bowl, both at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The 2026 CFP National Championship takes place January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, which returns to Miami for the first time since 2021. It will be the second consecutive season the national championship game will return to a city for a second time, after Atlanta hosted the title contests in 2018 and 2025.

Details including first round dates, times and networks will be announced later this year.

CFP Schedule

Quarterfinals (Times Eastern)
December 31: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, 7:30 p.m.
January 1: Capital One Orange Bowl, Noon
January 1: Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential, 4 p.m.
January 1: Allstate Sugar Bowl, 8 p.m.
Semifinals
January 8: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
January 9: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, 7:30 p.m.
Championship
January 19: At Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, 7:30 p.m.

North Carolina and TCU will play in the fifth annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on August 29, 2026.

The game at the 47,000-capacity Aviva Stadium will be one year after the same two teams open the 2025 college football season against each other on September 1 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. TCU will be the home team in Ireland.

“With a good number of our players not having traveled overseas, I am most happy for them to have this opportunity,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “It will be special to take the field in Dublin and for our fans to see us on this type of stage in Ireland.”

The 2026 game will mark the first time the Horned Frogs have played abroad. North Carolina will become the fourth team from the ACC to compete in the classic, joining Boston College, Georgia Tech (which has played in the event twice) and Florida State.

“We’re grateful to be selected to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” said North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our program and we’re excited to represent the university and our fans on an international stage.”

The 2024 matchup between Georgia Tech and Florida State drew more than 28,400 international visitors from 26 countries, contributing an estimated €146 million to the Irish economy. In 2025, Kansas State and Iowa State will open the college football season in Ireland with an estimated 21,000 U.S. fans expected to make the transatlantic trip for game week.

“This event is now a firm fixture in the Irish sporting calendar,” said Patrick O’Donovan, Irish Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport. ” It has huge benefits for Irish tourism, the wider economy, and our sports ecosystem and indeed creates a great atmosphere in Dublin for visitors and locals alike.”

As title sponsor, Aer Lingus is responsible for transporting the teams and their delegations to Dublin.

“The Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a key pillar in the Irish sporting calendar and plays a unique role in strengthening the ties between Ireland and the United States,” Aer Lingus Chief Executive Lynne Embleton said. “Aer Lingus is proud to fly 21 routes from North America to Ireland in 2025. We look forward to welcoming TCU, the University of North Carolina and their many supporters as they travel with Aer Lingus to Dublin for what promises to be an unforgettable game.”

UNC has won each of the previous three games against TCU, the most recent in 1997 with a 31-10 victory in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We are excited to welcome TCU and North Carolina to Dublin for the 2026 Aer Lingus Classic and offer one-of-a-kind experiences to local and traveling fans,” said John Anthony, co-founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and executive vice president of On Location. “This compelling matchup promises to deliver another unforgettable start to the college football season in front of a passionate crowd at Aviva Stadium.”

Bill Hancock, former College Football Playoff executive director, has been selected as the 13th recipient of the Michael J. Cleary Merit of Honor Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

The award was named after Cleary, the former NACDA executive director, in 2011. Cleary served at the helm of NACDA from the Association’s inception in 1965 through his retirement in 2011, when he became director emeritus until his passing in 2015. Hancock will be honored in June in conjunction with the 2025 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Orlando.

“This is an overwhelming honor,” Hancock said. “Mike Cleary was a friend and confidant; we were bound by our shared roots as championships administrators. NACDA is a beacon of integrity and represents the legion of folks who showed me the right path over the past half-century. I am deeply flattered and grateful.”

Hancock was named executive director of the CFP a few months after the event was created in 2012. He was tasked with finalizing the details of a media rights agreement and negotiating agreements with bowl games and national championship game host cities.

Hancock was also the first full-time director of the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the first administrator of the Bowl Championship Series. He spent 11 years at the Big Eight Conference before becoming Final Four director in 1989. After 16 years with the basketball tournament, Hancock joined the BCS in 2005.

The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates integrity and commitment to the highest ideals of athletics in general, and intercollegiate athletics in particular.

Las Vegas will host the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship at Allegiant Stadium on January 25, the CFP officially announced on Friday after months of waiting for an announcement to be made.

Las Vegas will become the 11th different city to host a CFP title game and the third in the Pacific time zone, joining the Bay Area (2019) and Los Angeles (2023). Securing the championship event is another win in a long line of victories for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which hosted Formula 1 the past two years and the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in February 2024. The city has also been announced as the host site for April’s WrestleMania 41 and the 2028 Men’s Final Four.

“Pairing the energy of Las Vegas with the College Football Playoff National Championship will make for a truly extraordinary event, both on and off the field,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of LVCVA. “We appreciate the opportunity the CFP has provided us to welcome college football’s greatest athletes and biggest fans for an unmatched national championship experience in the city built for celebration.”

The LVCVA celebrated as only Las Vegas can, releasing a video of Strip headliner Shin Lim performing an illusion at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. The face of the sign was changed and Lim revealed a new message, welcoming the College Football Playoff National Championship to Las Vegas.

“College football fans across the country are going to be thrilled to hear this news today,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “Las Vegas has shown the world they have amazing venues and boundless energy to host an event like the College Football Playoff National Championship in spectacular fashion. I can’t think of a better stage to crown the best team in college football in 2027. I also want to thank Steve Hill and the entire Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for the hard work and dedication they put in to making this day a reality for their city.”

The CFP originally negotiated with Las Vegas to host the 2025 CFP title game. However, the two sides couldn’t make it work as the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which is also held in early January, requires thousands of hotel rooms. Atlanta was chosen as a late replacement, having hosted the title game earlier this week.

Additionally, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported on Twitter that New Orleans will host the CFP title game in 2028 and Tampa Bay will host the 2029 title game. Miami is slated to host in both 2026 and 2030. Since the College Football Playoff began in 2014, Miami will become the first city to host the title game three times (2021, 2026 and 2030). The only other cities to host multiple CFP championships include Atlanta (2018 and 2025) and New Orleans (2020 and 2028).

As Jeff Hundley stepped out of the shower at his downtown New Orleans hotel at 4:30 a.m. on January 1, his wife told him to turn on the television.

“I ran to the TV and saw what was going on,” Hundley said. “I quickly got to our office in the Superdome and at about 6:00 my phone rang from a Baton Rouge number that I didn’t recognize. I figured I’d better answer it — and turns out it was the governor.”

With that, the next 48 hours became a whirlwind for the chief executive officer of the Sugar Bowl. A deadly terrorist attack had taken place on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day as a driver plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.

The attack came hours before two of the heavyweights in college football, Notre Dame and Georgia, were to meet in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at 7:45 p.m. local time on January 1, thrusting the Sugar Bowl and city of New Orleans into a blender of emotion and uncertainty as the FBI, state and local law enforcement converged on the area.

“Five minutes after my phone rang, I was meeting with the governor, who was providing all the details that they had at that point in time and looking for a delay up to 48 hours for the game,” Hundley said. “The amount of law enforcement in town was enough to conduct the game, but it wasn’t enough to investigate the crime and conduct the game.”

While waiting for reinforcements from the FBI, DEA, National Guard and state police, Hundley and his team spent the next several hours on the phone with representatives from Notre Dame and Georgia, the management of the College Football Playoff, the Southeastern Conference and ESPN.

“You can imagine with that many cooks in the kitchen, there were a lot of different opinions on when, and if, and how the game should be played,” Hundley said. “The spectrum was broad and included everything from playing that day to delaying 48 hours, and I won’t go into any more detail than that. But arriving at a consensus wasn’t necessarily easy.”

In addition to “cooks in the kitchen,” there was a large menu of issues to work through once it was decided that the game would be moved; the initial announcement was that the game would be postponed to January 2, then later it was announced the game would kick off at 4 p.m. local time.

Adjusting on the Fly

The early kickoff time on January 2 was a sporting matter. Penn State had won its quarterfinal against Boise State on New Year’s Eve. The CFP committee did not want the Sugar Bowl winner to have much more of a disadvantage to prepare for the semifinals (Notre Dame beat Penn State and will play Ohio State in Monday’s title game in Atlanta).

Once the kickoff time was settled, the next hurdle was to make sure there was enough staff at the Caesars Superdome. Hundley met with Doug Thornton and Evan Holmes of ASM Global, the company that manages the Superdome. All parties agreed that gameday staff would receive time-and-a-half holiday pay to incentivize people to come. Ultimately, they had the same staffing turnout that they would have had a day earlier.

“Doug and Evan did a great job,” said Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl since 2019. “They had an event that was scheduled to move in (January 2) so they had to work through postponing that. And with it being an afternoon game, they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to get ticket takers, ushers, what have you, because those people have day jobs.”

Another logistical question was hotel reservations. The teams were staying at the Hilton Riverside and the New Orleans Marriott, with the Sheraton hosting the media.

“We contacted all three of those right away because we weren’t sure about their availability,” Hundley said. “A lot of years, there’ll be a convention moving in as the Sugar Bowl fans are leaving, so we checked with our partner hotels and they fortunately had availability to extend everybody a day. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”

New Orleans Rallies to Create Special Atmosphere

The postponement allowed plenty of law enforcement to arrive in New Orleans to secure both the crime scene and the rest of the city as Notre Dame’s and Georgia’s fan bases made their way to the Superdome. Attendance was announced at 57,267 at the stadium, which holds more than 70,000 for football; the postponement led to more than 20,000 tickets entering the secondary market as fans who couldn’t stay the extra day headed home.

“We were worried that there were going to be gaping holes in the stadium crowd,” Hundley said. “But that didn’t happen on game night. That tells me the locals rallied and maybe some people who were initially concerned got comfortable enough to go. But I think it was a big part of the local community that showed up for the game.”

The Sugar Bowl changed programming before the start of the game to include an elongated moment of silence, followed by a prayer and a national anthem performance that had the crowd chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A.”

“It was really the kind of stuff that raised goosebumps on my arms and I’ll be honest, I shed a tear or two,” Hundley said. “It was just that emotional.”

Hundley has lived in New Orleans for over three decades and says communication is the most important aspect in any rapid development when organizing an event.

“We didn’t stop being on the phone and had plenty of face-to-face meetings,” he said. “What could have been a really chaotic situation ended up being as successful as it could and the entire community really pulled together. There was no panic, just level heads prevailing.”

To prevail is also not a one-person job. Hundley got about two hours of sleep total during the whirlwind 48-hour period along with a staff that worked around the clock.

“They all did a great job,” he said. “Hardly anybody slept. But the game came off well and we all feel good about it. We were able to carry on and we did so in a safe and appropriate manner that showed the proper reverence for what had taken place.”

After the ordeal the city has been through, it now turns to the busiest period the city has ever seen from an events perspective. Super Bowl LIX will be held on February 9, followed by Mardi Gras starting March 4. Each day, Hundley looks out the window from his office at the Superdome and can feel the buzz beginning to crescendo.

“This is an extremely resilient community,” he said. “I’ve lived here 31 years now and have seen it time and again. I think everybody that I’m talking to right now is looking forward to and excited about the challenge and the opportunity to prove to the rest of the world that New Orleans is the best major event city in this country.”

As the final weeks of the college football regular season wound down, destinations across the country were watching with more interest than previous years knowing four cities would host first-round games in the expanded College Football Playoff.

The four teams that received home games December 20–21 are Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas. Those four schools feature more than two dozen combined national championships and four of the most iconic home fields in the sport.

And the other thing they all have in common: Happy tourism offices.

“It’s definitely going to be a win for the four cities involved this weekend,” said Drew Hays, director of the Austin Sports Commission.

South Bend to Make More History

There are few places in the sport that rival Notre Dame Stadium. After the Irish defeated USC 49–35 on November 30 to finish the season 11-1 and clinch a home game, it was clear which game ESPN would choose to put in primetime on Friday night for the first CFP campus game in history.

The seventh-seeded Irish will host in-state rival and 10th seed Indiana under the eyes of Touchdown Jesus and the rest of the country.

“It’s not really anything that you can pay for,” said Jeff Jarnecke, executive director of Visit South Bend Mishawaka. “The idea that everyone at that moment in time is focused on South Bend, we will shine as bright, if not brighter, than we ever have before. And the things that we’re working on, not only with our campus partners, but around the community from the time that you step off the plane to the time that you depart, it’s going to look and feel different than it ever has in our community.”

For a typical home game in the regular season, Notre Dame draws an estimated $17 million in total economic impact to South Bend and $27 million total when you include neighboring counties. South Bend only has 5,300 hotel rooms and 1,400 homes available for rent on sites like Airbnb, so the surrounding area sees plenty of business as well.

“We informed our hotels to be mindful of the potential (CFP) committee decision all the way back in February to make sure that our hotel partners were ready,” Jarnecke said. “We wanted them to largely save the date, but certainly no guarantees that this would happen. We wanted them to be ready to provide as many rooms as they can.”

Hotel rooms for the Ohio State game last year were going for as high as $1,500. Short term rentals were going for, anecdotally, tens of thousands of dollars. Notre Dame sits in a unique situation in the new CFP. Only the top four conference champions can secure a first-round bye, meaning Notre Dame could host more playoff games in the future.

“We love Notre Dame,” Jarnecke said. “The university is the number one tourist attraction in the city of South Bend and the number one reason for visitation to St. Joseph County. The idea that we can get that additional home game and especially in the month of December is huge from a visitation standpoint.”

Happy Valley Extra Happy with Home Game

Sometimes fans can find a silver lining in defeat. As Penn State mounted a rally against top-seeded Oregon but ultimately fell short in the Big Ten Championship game, the Nittany Lions fell out of contention for a first-round bye, which hurt Eric Engelbarts from a fan perspective.

From a business perspective, the executive director at the Happy Valley Sports and Entertainment Alliance had mixed emotions.

“You never really know how you’re going to react until you go through it,” he said. “It’s kind of a win-win no matter what — as a fan I will say the sting didn’t go away that night. It didn’t really go away until the staff meeting on Monday morning when it was like, ‘Okay, it’s time to get serious.’ But this is big business for the area. So we allowed ourselves a 24-hour grace period to be a fan. And then when you’re at work on Monday, it’s time to go.”

Happy Valley has 3,000 hotel rooms and hundreds of rental properties. However, Beaver Stadium can seat about 110,000 people for a massive game like when Penn State will host SMU on Saturday afternoon. The math doesn’t quite add up on those numbers, which has led to some astronomical room rates for the weekend. Some properties have a two-night minimum that run as high as $1,500 per night.

“When we hosted the Michigan game last year, the announced attendance was over 110,000 and our daily room rate was up over $700 per room,” Engelbarts said. “We had a total estimated economic impact of over $21 million, with $15 million coming from direct spending.”

The accommodations market was already thin before the CFP schedule was announced. This weekend is Winter Graduation at Penn State, meaning many people booked rooms months ago at regular prices, creating a perfect storm for those trying to find a place to sleep now.

But the Happy Valley region is not going to complain during a time when tourism is typically slow.

“Don’t get me wrong … personally, we wish that we would have won the Big 10 championship and then would be sitting here with a bye,” Engelbarts said. “But professionally, for our area and state in general, I think it’s something special to be able to showcase what Happy Valley can do.”

Busy Weekend at Slow Time in Austin

Having spent most of the CFP rankings in position to secure a bye, losing in the SEC championship game to Georgia shifted Texas football into the first round with a home game against Clemson — the first December home game in Longhorns history.

But in Austin, even as the Longhorns went through the regular season with a projected bye, the preparation was being done behind the scenes with hotels being informed about the potential scenarios and to make sure of staffing needs.

“We want Texas to be successful and have the easiest path as possible,” Hays said. He also admitted “in a month when Austin needs business, the weekend before Christmas, you couldn’t ask for a better scenario from a business standpoint.”

The numbers are already showcasing the interest in Austin, which has had several big weekends already this fall. Hays said as of Monday, the ADR for year-over-year is up 21 percent, paid occupancy is up 90 percent and revenue is up over 100 percent. There have already been noticeable booking increases from markets including North Carolina, Nashville and Atlanta, home of big Clemson followings.

“You can see how big of a matchup this is not only in the college football landscape in general but the city of Austin,” Hays said. With the holiday weekend usually so slow, “this alone is going to do wonders for our hotel community, not only downtown but city-wide.”

Texas’ kickoff (3:30 p.m. local time) also helps the overnight market with the shorter days of sunlight, making more people feel like sticking in town for a nightcap or three and going home in the morning if coming from out of town. There’s also the ability for Austin residents to have a home game before potentially traveling the rest of the playoff to see the Longhorns; the winner of Texas-Clemson plays Arizona State in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

“Are you going to take that risk and see if UT makes the national championship game (also in Atlanta) or will you go to all the games?” Hays said. “Depending on your budget, that may be a heavy price tag. There’s more scenarios, there’s more opportunities for fan bases to be in this position than in years past. If you’re a college football fan I don’t think there’s a product in the past that beats this 12 team playoff.”

Columbus Looks to Rebound as CFP Host

Ask anybody in Columbus and they’ll tell you no amount of money will make it less painful when they lose to “That team up North.”

The Buckeyes were poised to play Oregon in the Big Ten title game for a shot at a first-round bye. But then the unthinkable happened — a home loss to Michigan in the regular season finale as a three-touchdown favorite.

Now, the 8th-seeded Buckeyes will host No. 9 Tennessee at Ohio Stadium on Saturday night to cap the first round.

“I’m an optimistic person and I see an upside in everything,” said Jesse Ghiorzi, director of marketing for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. “Having the opportunity to have an extra home game and do something historic in Columbus — Ohio Stadium just celebrated its 100th anniversary two years ago and it’s never hosted a December home game — is a real neat opportunity and one that we’re excited to have in Columbus.”

Hotel rooms will not be a problem for Tennessee fans making the six-hour drive from Knoxville. Columbus has nearly 30,000 rooms, which means a room can be had for just over $100 per night. But even with low lodging prices, Columbus still estimates around $12 million in direct visitor spending this weekend.

“December’s typically a downtime for Columbus tourism and sports tourism,” Ghiorzi said. “So anytime we can get a piece of December business like this, it’s incredible, especially in this instance where it was not an event that we bid on or that we knew was coming. It’s a real nice boost to the restaurants and shops and hotels here late in the year.”

Ohio State is third all-time in the history of college football in wins and Tennessee is 11th. But they’ve only played once, a 20–14 Vols win in the 1996 Citrus Bowl.

“We’re absolutely excited to welcome visitors to Columbus and we expect a good bit of creamsicle to be around the University District and downtown,” Ghiorzi said. “We’re working closely with our partners at Ohio State to try to really roll out the red carpet and make it feel like as big of an event as one that we have a year or two of advance notice. In this case, we had just 11 days, but because of all the great partnerships, we’re able to fast-track some things around the city.”

FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt in Nashville will host the 2026 and 2027 Division I Football Championship games after a new venue was needed for those years.

Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the host of the game since 2010, had been slated to host through 2027. In September, Frisco City Council approved a $182 million public-private partnership with FC Dallas to renovate the venue; the work will be a multi-year project, meaning a new venue was needed for 2026 and 2027.

The location of the game beyond 2027 will be determined in a future bid cycle. Nashville becomes the 11th city to host the Football Championship Subdivision championship game since 1978. It will be the first time the game has been played in Tennessee since Chattanooga hosted from 1997 to 2009. The games will be co-hosted by the Ohio Valley Conference and the Nashville Sports Council.

“On behalf of the committee, we are very excited to bring FCS football to Nashville,” said Matt Larsen, athletics director at North Dakota State and chair of the Division I Football Championship Committee. “We considered a number of finalists, but Nashville set themselves apart. The opportunity to continue to grow the game and our brand in a setting like this is something we know the FCS community as a whole will be excited about.”

The 2025 FCS championship game will be played January 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.

“The city of Frisco and Toyota Stadium are incredible partners and have helped grow our championship to an exceptional level the past 15 years,” said Ty Halpin, NCAA director of championships. “Frisco holds a special place in the history of the championship and in the hearts of our institutions and fans. The committee looks forward to seeing the renovations to the stadium in Frisco.”