The newly expanded College Football Playoff has affected more than just the college ranks. High school playoffs are now having to change championship game locations in the state of Alabama.
Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium have rotated hosting the state championship games for well over a decade. However, due to the potential of hosting a CFP game in future seasons, the Alabama High School Athletics Associate removed the homes of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers from the rotation.
“We are grateful to the cities of Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Opelika, Auburn University and the University of Alabama for joining together to host our Super 7 since the rotation began in 2009,” AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs said via AL.com.
“The experiences and memories provided for our member schools, the teams, their students, and communities has been immeasurable. We understand, however, the conflicts that will be unavoidable in the future based on the expanded CFA playoff structure and format.”
CFP Expansion brings teams hosting in the first round, something new to college football. This year’s playoff will see Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21 as the dates of potential games, assuming Alabama and Auburn make it into the field and do not receive byes.
While Alabama’s Super 7 is usually hosted earlier in the month, there was never a chance of a game being played inside Bryant-Denny or Jordan-Hare. Their home schedules were wrapped up with either the Iron Bowl the weekend after Thanksgiving or the week prior.
Protective Stadium in Birmingham was thrown into the Super 7 rotation in 2021 and is set to host during the 2024 playoffs. They will remain there as the state looks for somewhere new to hold the event alongside Protective Stadium.
Mobile has been interested, potentially being a replacement for Auburn-Opelika and Tuscaloosa.
“We at the Mobile Sports Authority have made it no secret that we’d consider it to be an honor to host future Super 7 Football Championships,” said Danny Corte, executive director of the Mobile Sports Authority. “That’s just a very special week in our state which creates life-long memories for the young athletes and their families, the coaches, the schools, and their fans.
“With the solid partnerships we’ve been able to forge with our local public and private entities, we believe that Mobile would prove to be an ideal location for such a prestigious event. With today’s news, I look forward to talking more in detail with the present and future AHSAA leadership about their plans for the Super 7 going forward.”
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