College football is eyeing Minneapolis for its 2017 ‘Super Bowl’
Officials from college football's Bowl Championship Series -- soon to be the College Football Playoff Championship -- are going to be in the Metrodome on Sunday.
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is bidding to host the new game -- the successor to the current, oft-criticized system for hashing out the best college football team in America. The championship will shift to a playoff system and a final game, closer to the much-celebrated "Final Four" format that college basketball uses.
"They're going to be at the Green Bay-Minnesota game and looking at the site, getting a presentation from the chair on the new stadium," said Vikings vice president and spokesman Lester Bagley as he was updating lawmakers. "They're very interested in bringing the BCS Championship game to Minneapolis, to Minnesota, in 2017."
The new Vikings stadium, scheduled to open in 2016, will be built on the site of the Metrodome.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Dallas will host the first championship in 2015 -- the end of next year's NCAA football season. The 2016 game's host hasn't been selected yet. Four cities are in the running:
Arizona (University of Phoenix Stadium)
Jacksonville (EverBank Field)
New Orleans (Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Tampa Bay (Raymond James Stadium)
Here are the cities and stadiums vying to host the game in 2017:
Bay Area (Levi's Stadium)
Jacksonville (EverBank Field)
Minneapolis (Vikings Stadium)
San Antonio (Alamodome)
South Florida (Sun Life Stadium)
Tampa Bay (Raymond James Stadium)
The visit comes just three weeks after the NFL named Minneapolis as a finalist for the 2018 Super Bowl, along with New Orleans and Indianapolis.