An announcement regarding the site for the College Football Playoff Championship Game in 2020 is expected early next month. My prediction is Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium will be the city and venue announced.
A site committee headed by CFP executive director Bill Hancock visited Minneapolis earlier this fall. The group left town impressed by a presentation similar to what Minnesota leaders used to convince Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four authorities to bring those events to U.S. Bank Stadium in 2018 and 2019.
Last spring governor Mark Dayton announced the formation of the Minnesota CFP Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Meet Minneapolis/Sports Minneapolis, the Vikings and the University of Minnesota. The CFP organization announced in late May bids had been received from the Bay Area (Santa Clara game site), Charlotte, Houston, Minnesota, New Orleans and San Antonio to host the 2020 game to be played on Monday, January 13.
The selection of a northern city to host the game would add diversity to the site locations. The inaugural game last January was played in Arlington, Texas. Glendale, Arizona will host the game next January and Tampa will be site for 2017. The CFP organization is expected to announce next month its choices of host cities for 2018, 2019 and 2020. Minnesota didn’t submit bids for 2018 or 2019.
The successful winter hosting of the 1992 Super Bowl in Minneapolis and the eagerness of NFL officials to return the game here in 2018 could certainly have played a part in easing any concerns about the weather by CFP authorities. This area offers a state-of-the-art domed venue in U.S. Bank Stadium and also covered practice facilities owned by the Gophers and Vikings. Positives also include Minneapolis’ reputation as an easy to reach travel destination, with varied local transportation including light rail, and a city offering facilities to host ancillary CFP events. The city’s famous skyway system allows visitors to walk around downtown without going outdoors.
Worth Noting
The Vikings and Gophers already have covered practice facilities, and seem targeted to have new ones by 2020 when the CFP Game will likely be played here. The Vikings appear headed toward developing a complex in Eagan that will include offices and practice facilities. The Gophers today will host a ceremonial groundbreaking event on the East Campus for the new Athletes Village that will include a new football practice facility.
During the time Jerry Kill was the Gophers head football coach the state’s high school football coaches have been among his vocal admirers. After Kill’s resignation on Wednesday the Minnesota Football Coaches Association distributed a tribute that said the coach gave “every minute of his time and every ounce of his energy” to not only his players and assistants, but also to the public including causes both large and small. “No request was denied, no cause too minor,” the statement said. “He was and is the ultimate giver. …From the very bottom of our collective hearts, THANK YOU, COACH.”
The are “still a limited number of tickets” available for the Gophers Halloween night game Saturday against Michigan, according to an athletic department spokesman. The game could be Minnesota’s fifth consecutive home sellout this season. The Wolverines, college football’s winningest program, are always a gate attraction but adding to the hype this season is the debut of glamour coach Jim Harbaugh who after a star career as Michigan’s quarterback developed winning teams at Stanford and with the NFL’s 49ers.
The Wolverines, who prior to Harbaugh’s arrival this year were struggling, are among the surprise teams in college football. Michigan, 5-2, has lost only to Pac-12 power Utah in an opening game and to Michigan State on a fluke fumble by the Wolverines punter.
When Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany was in Minneapolis earlier this month he was asked about Harbaugh’s impact on the conference. “He’s got a great track-record as a player and coach,” Delany answered. “Only halfway through the season but they’ve played awful well. The Michigan people are excited. A great conference needs great coaches, and needs great programs. I think that in football and in basketball we’re well positioned with some of the coach-teacher leaders that we have, and obviously Jim is off to a fabulous start.”
Because of the Kill resignation and being major underdogs, the Gophers will be a national story if they can win Saturday’s game. The Wolverines, who have shutout three opponents and lead Big Ten teams in six defensive categories, are likely to go into the game favored by a couple of touchdowns.
College football authority Jerry Palm has the Gophers, 4-3, as one of 10 Big Ten teams who will play in a bowl game. Palm, writing this week for Cbssports.com, predicts Minnesota will play Air Force December 29 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.
The Timberwolves opened their season Wednesday night with a comeback one point win in Los Angeles against a Lakers team that was 21-61 last season. “They’re still going to be really, really bad.” That’s a quote about the Lakers from an anonymous scout in the October 26 issue of Sports Illustrated.
In the magazine’s NBA preview issue the Lakers are predicted to finish 14th among 15 Western Conference teams. The Timberwolves, 16-66 last season, are forecast to finish 12th. The Cavs, whose key players include former Wolves star Kevin Love, are the choice to defeat the Thunder for the NBA title.
NBA.com surveyed the league’s general manager with questions about teams and players. The Wolves Andrew Wiggins, who was the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year last season, drew the most support as the player expected to have a breakout year. Among NBA rookies this season, the Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns is a runaway choice to be the best player in five years.
Basketball stat of the day: with a career record of 172-68 (.717 percent) Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan has the highest Big Ten winning percentage in conference history.
Among the newcomers to watch on the Gophers basketball team is 6-6 freshman forward Jordan Murphy from San Antonio. “He can jump with anybody (on the team),” teammate Charles Buggs told Sports Headliners. Murphy averaged 23.6 points and 10.5 rebounds as a high school senior.
Buggs, a 6-9 junior forward, wears size 17 shoes. Reggie Lynch, the 6-10 junior center who isn’t eligible this season after transferring from Illinois State, wears size 18 shoes, the biggest on the team, according to Buggs.
Buggs, who has increased his weight from 210 to 230 through training and by eating four to five meals per day, has a 3.0 GPA and is a sports management major. He spent part of the offseason working events at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Gophers play Minnesota Crookston in an exhibition game Sunday starting at 4 p.m. in Williams Arena. BTN Plus will televise the game.
After winning Tuesday night, the Wild is now 21-3-1 in its last 25 games against the Oilers. Tonight the Wild plays the Blackhawks at Xcel Energy Center. In the last 15 games between the two clubs eight have been decided by one goal and four were shootouts.
Two former Gophers hockey players, now coaches at Hamline, are about to start their seasons. Hamline men’s coach Cory Laylin, whose team last winter won the MIAC playoffs after a fifth place regular season, will send his Pipers into games tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon against Gustavus Adolphus and Saint Mary’s as part of the MIAC Men’s Hockey Showcase in Blaine. Natalie Darwitz starts her first season coaching the women’s team with games at Concordia (WI) tonight and tomorrow afternoon.