The College Football Playoff National Championship is still on for Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 11, but some of the festivities that normally accompany it are being eliminated because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Three of those ancillary events that will be eliminated surrounding South Florida's big game: Playoff Fan Central, Playoff Playlist Live and Championship Tailgate.
Playoff Fan Central is the collegiate version of the NFL's Super Bowl Experience that was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in conjunction with this year's Super Bowl.
Playoff Playlist Live were concerts planned for Miami Beach.
Championship Tailgate was a fan-friendly mass tailgate event.
"With the start of the college football season, we continue to look forward to hosting the CFP National Championship in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in January," the CFP said Monday in a written statement. "As has been the case so many times before, South Florida will be a beautiful setting for college football's most prestigious event.
"We recognize not everything will be the same this year as it has been in past seasons. Given the fluid situation with the pandemic, it is important that we consider our participants, fans, volunteers and staff and make critical decisions guided by public safety guidelines set forth by government and health entities.
"We are still exploring the concept of hosting virtual events around this year's game. Regardless of the adjustments we make to our events, rest assured we will be working hard in the coming months to make our time in Miami as festive as possible."
The Capital One Orange Bowl, scheduled for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Jan. 2, is also still scheduled for Hard Rock.
The ticket situation is still unclear at this point and will likely evolve according to the protocols of the state, local municipalities and Hard Rock. The first two Miami Hurricanes and Dolphins home games, for example, are allowing 13,000 socially distanced fans. No students were allowed at UM's opener last Thursday and will not be allowed at UM's next home game at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 against Florida State.
"We understand the difficult decisions the College Football Playoff staff has had to make in recent weeks related to hosting their Championship in South Florida," said Miami 2021 Host Committee Chair Judge Michael Chavies in a written statement. "While many of the events surrounding the Championship will be re-imagined in order to align with existing government regulations, we are excited that Miami will once again be hosting college football's most prestigious event in January.
"Regardless of the challenging circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the championship game will still provide a much-needed boon to the South Florida economy and will undoubtedly serve as an infomercial for Miami as a top tourist destination, showcasing the beauty of the region over multiple days culminating with the area being showcased to the nation via the telecast of the game itself."
