Atlanta bidding to host college football title game

Atlanta is making a bid to host college football's national championship game at the end of the 2017 season.

Should Atlanta earn that right, the city's new retractable roof stadium would host the title game in January 2018. The billion-dollar stadium is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017.

The bid is being pursued by "Team Atlanta," which consists of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, Atlanta Sports Council, Atlanta Falcons, Chick-fil-A Bowl, City of Atlanta, Georgia Dome, Georgia World Congress Center and several state officials.

"Team Atlanta is fully focused on assembling the best possible bid with the sole purpose of earning the rights to bring the 2018 National Championship Game to Atlanta," Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO Gary Stokan said in a release. "We have the right team in place and will work together to pool our resources into the winning bid."

College football is adopting a four-team playoff beginning next season, with the first championship game set for AT&T Stadium outside of Dallas.

The Georgia Dome is scheduled to host a national semifinal after the 2016 season. Atlanta did not bid for anything in the 2015 postseason due to a lack of hotel rooms because of a convention.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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