Pretty sure cities compete for those games and the games are awarded long before they know who will make the playoffs.
I feel it is unfair that Georgia played the national semi-final as a virtual home game.
Pretty sure cities compete for those games and the games are awarded long before they know who will make the playoffs.
The two semi final games rotate amongst the big six bowl games every year. This just happened to be the Peach Bowl’s year to get 1 and 4. The games are always played back to back on the 31st (except for 2020 when the were on Jan 1st, 2021 to accommodate the Rose Bowl tradition which in the end got moved to Jerry’s house in Arlington Texas.
Interestingly, #9 Georgia played #8 Cincinnati in the 2020 Peach Bowl to the highest rating for a non playoff game.
Also note, more people watched the two semi final games than did the final a week later which was a 52-24 rout of Ohio State by Alabama.
Agreed but the assignment of the teams is after the sites are chosen and, if this is a fair tournament, the teams should not have an unfair advantage based on location where it can be avoided and, in this case, it could have.
Why, then, do they make sure to assign an officiating crew who is not from the same conference as either team?
Not a chance, 2/3 of America doesn't have a chance as they are eliminated otherwise things would be a bit different.
Certainly not America's biggest stadium, The Big House hosting the winningest team in college football where one might not even be able to see the field, oh things would turn out a little different with southern teams... They hosted a couple of hockey games there a few years back, boy was that something!