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Miami to host 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship January 5, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium

This will be the 22nd college football national championship hosted in South Florida, and the second since the CFP era began in 2014. Miami hosted the 2021 CFP National Championship between Alabama and Ohio State, though attendance was limited due to the adverse impact of the pandemic. The first 20 South Florida national championship games were hosted by the Orange Bowl Committee, most recently the 2013 BCS National Championship between Alabama and Notre Dame. “We are truly honored that the College Football Playoff would select Miami as the site of the 2026 CFP National Championship,” said Jack Seiler, chair of the 2026 Host Committee. The first-class stadium, convention center, hotels and supportive people in South Florida made the decision to return quite easy.

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Innovative media center unveiled at Redland MS

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship Game (CFPNCG) Host Committee recently unveiled a new media center at Redland Middle School, complete with virtual reality (VR) equipment, roaming desks, a robotics section, a new Promethean board and more than a dozen computer stations. Redland Middle is one of 16 Miami-Dade public middle schools having its media centers transformed into technology-rich innovation spaces over the next two years. All the partners will continue to unveil new projects at different schools throughout the year. Eighth-grader Gregory Worcester, who gave greetings on behalf of students at the ceremony, was thrilled with the results of the renovation. “When you come in here, it looks like it’s part of a new fancy tech high school.”A robotic section is part of the features of Redland Middle’s new Innovation Space.

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Jones, Smith, Harris reconnect at Alabama's pro day No. 2

Patrick Surtain II and Mac Jones had the spotlight at Alabama's Pro Day, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)DeVonta Smith was there for quarterback Mac Jones once again, this time it was at Alabama's latest pro day. “He didn't have to do that,” Jones told the SEC Network, which aired the pro day. '”Jones showcased his arm strength a week after participating in the Crimson Tide's first pro day. “Mac was just on me like, ‘Bro, come catch, come catch, come catch,’” Smith told the network.

Video game maker EA Sports announces return of NCAA Football

There is no timetable in place for the next release of a college football game, the company said. “We’ve heard from the millions of passionate fans requesting the return of college football video games,” EA Sports executive vice president and general manage Cam Weber said in a statement. “We love the energy, tradition and pageantry of college football and I am beyond thrilled to say we are back in development." The NCAA Football video game did not identify players by name, but the game simulated teams and players as they played in real life. The video game was part of a broad legal challenge and a judge ruled the NCAA had been inappropriately using the names, images and likenesses of college athletes.

Brian Flores says Dolphins have had conversations with WR DeVonta Smith

The Alabama wide receiver is the first player at his position to pick up that honor since Desmond Howard at Michigan. On Wednesday, head coach Brian Flores was interviewed at the Senior Bowl. But it’s good to meet him, spend time with him and find out what kind of person he is. The football character, the toughness, the competitiveness, he’s a very good player.”If the Dolphins draft Smith, it would be a reunion with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. During Tagovailoa’s freshman year, he threw the game-winning pass in the National Championship game, it was caught by Smith.

NFL draft early entry list has 3 national title-winning QBs

Those 128 players, plus three more who inquired about their draft status but didn't need special eligibility, were on the NFL's official list released Friday as available to be drafted after giving up their remaining college eligibility. The 30 players with college eligibility remaining after completing their degree requirements had to notify the NFL of their intentions for the draft. As for those 98 players granted special eligibility without yet finishing their degrees, that was one fewer than last year and the lowest total since 95 in 2017. Players less than four years removed from high school who have not completed a degree need to be granted special entry to the draft by the NFL. Southern California has the most players leaving early for NFL draft eligibility with six.

Thousands party in streets after Alabama win, despite virus

Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he expected more cases of COVID-19 to result from the street party. “It’s disappointing to see people not paying attention to the guidance that we try to give to keep them safe. Students and workers also are required to complete online training about reducing the risk of spreading the illness. More than 5,500 people have died in Alabama from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and about 408,000 have tested positive. People lined up to get into the bars an hour before kickoff despite the warnings, The Tuscaloosa News reported.

Perfect Alabama finishes No. 1 in AP Top 25 for 12th time

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Alabama finished the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time, extending its record by completing the program’s first perfect season since 2009. With 12 AP titles overall — Paul “Bear” Bryant was coach for five and Gene Stallings for one — Alabama has four more than Notre Dame, in second place with eight. The Big 12 finished with a perfect record in five bowl games. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25___This story has been updated to correct the number of national titles for Alabama to 12, not.

COVID-19 shadows title game as college football season ends

From start to finish, the specter of COVID-19 loomed large over the 2020 college football season and the national championship game was no exception. Along with masks for almost everyone except the players, there were lots of empty seats — around 50,000 — for the College Football Playoff showdown. Fittingly, the championship game took place at a COVID-19 vaccination and testing site. It was a made-for-TV season that ends with an asterisk, and college football now looks toward the 2021 season, which question marks of its own. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Alabama in record 5th CFP title game vs 1st champ Ohio State

Ohio State is back for the first time since winning the inaugural title in the CFP era. After the SEC champion Crimson Tide rolled past Notre Dame 31-14 in a Rose Bowl played deep in the heart of Texas, the No. 3 Buckeyes of the Big Ten beat Clemson 49-28 in the other CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night. The Tigers were trying, like Alabama, to get to the title game for the fifth time in the seven seasons of the four-team playoff. Alabama was the top seed in the first four-team playoff, but Ohio State beat the Tide 42-35 in the semifinal Sugar Bowl.

College Football Playoff semifinal moved from Rose Bowl to AT&T Stadium in Texas

The College Football Playoff semifinal game scheduled for January 1 is being moved from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses announced Saturday night. The decision was made due to rising COVID-19 cases in Southern California, according to College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock. "We are very grateful to Rose Bowl officials and the City of Pasadena," Hancock said in a statement. The College Football Playoff selection committee announced Sunday that Notre Dame would be playing in the game despite a loss on Saturday, facing off against Alabama. "Why can't it be the Rose Bowl in Las Vegas or can it be the Rose Bowl in another town?"

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