Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Monday that administrators shaping the future of college football’s post-season during the playoff era hope to lock in the location of the national championship game following the 2014 season by Jan. 1. Cowboys Stadium in Arlington is among the leading venues to host the contest and Bowlsby said he expects the game to be played within the Big 12’s geographic footprint “on occasion.”
Bids are expected to be placed within the next 60 days and Tommy Bain, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, said he plans to meet Tuesday with Cowboys’ officials for further discussions.“We anticipate us being one of the finalists,” Bain said, referring to the venues seeking to host the inaugural national title game of the playoff era. “At this point, we’re confident we’ll host a national championship game. It’s just a matter of when.”Bowlsby indicated commissioners are anxious to set the site for the 2014 title game “so somebody can get started” preparing for it and promoting it. He said he would be “disappointed” if a site had not been selected by Jan. 1.Bain said the availability of all suites in Cowboys Stadium could be an asset in the bidding process. Bain said individuals who paid personal seat licenses for their suites in the stadium did so with the knowledge that they would not have access to those suites in two instances: a Super Bowl or a national championship game in college football. Instead, those suite holders would have the option of taking tickets elsewhere in the facility.In addition, Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker said administrators will be active in trying to land the Champions Bowl that will match teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, starting with the 2014 season. Bidding for that is expected to start within two weeks, Bowlsby said.“We’ve expressed our interest to both the Big 12 and the SEC,” Baker said. “We’re in a waiting mode.”