New Orleans, Miami among bids for new college football national championship

Eight different cities have submitted bids to host college football's national championship game in 2016 and 2017, the College Football Playoff announced.

Glendale (Ariz.), Jacksonville, New Orleans and Tampa are in the running to host the game in 2016 (which will conclude the 2015 season), while the Bay Area, Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and Tampa have submitted bids for 2017 (which concludes 2016).

The playoff system will begin after the 2014 regular season when four teams will play in a single-elimination tournament to determine college football's champion. The semifinal games will be rotated through six different bowls -- the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl and Fiesta Bowl -- while the title game will be played in a different location. Arlington has already been named the host of the first championship game.

Atlanta is bidding on the 2018 game, and is hoping to host the contest in its new stadium.

There is unsurprisingly a large Floridian focus in the bids -- of the ten total bids for the two years, half are from cities in the Sunshine State. All but three of the cities vying for the game are in the South.

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