College Football Playoff Picks Las Vegas Host Committee for January 2027 Championship
There were no surprises when the 2027 Las Vegas CFP Host Committee was announced on Tuesday, in contrast to the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket, where Notre Dame's exclusion in favor of two Group of Five teams sparked a commotion.
On January 25, 2027, the College Football Playoff National Championship game will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The names of the 12 members of the CFP Las Vegas Host Committee, who are well-known in Southern Nevada, were announced on Tuesday.
Sandra Douglas Morgan, the president of the Las Vegas Raiders and a former chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), is one of the co-chairs. When Mark Davis, the billionaire owner of the Raiders, hired Morgan in July 2022, she was already on the board of Caesars Entertainment.
Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, a native of Las Vegas and former Henderson mayor, is Morgan's co-chair. Another county commissioner, Michael Naft, will be on the committee.
Links to Casinos
The location of the 2027 college football championship game will be heavily reliant on the Las Vegas Strip. Strip casinos have a strong position on the host committee because they will conduct a number of integrations with the major college game.
Gary Fritz, the chief commercial officer and president of MGM Digital, will represent MGM Resorts, the biggest resort operator on S. Las Vegas Blvd. Chief Commercial Officer Sean McBurney of Caesars is also a member of the host committee. Carlos Castro, the president and chief financial officer of Resorts World, is a member of the host committee and will make sure that CFP events continue north up the Strip.
The planning committee also includes Allegiant Stadium General Manager Andy Gorchov, Raiders Senior VP & General Counsel Justin Carley, and Nevada Resort Association President Virginia Valentine.
Local leaders, who frequently volunteer to serve on committees for big events, have the remaining seats.
Among them is Steve Hill, the chair of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Rob Dondero, executive vice president, and Jeremy Aguero, principal analyst, are being sent to the host committee by Applied Analysis and R&R Partners, two companies frequently hired by the LVCVA for marketing and research.
Committee Duties
Preparations for college football's biggest game in Las Vegas will be directed by the 2027 CFP National Championship Host Committee. The committee will be in charge of the championship's local operations, planning, hospitality, legacy projects, and community outreach.
Next month, on January 19, the 2025 CFP will come to an end at Miami Gardens, Florida's Hard Rock Stadium.
Ohio State is the betting favorite at +220 for this postseason, according to FanDuel. Indiana (+290), Georgia (+550), Oregon (+750), Texas Tech (+900), Texas A&M (+1700), Alabama (+2200), Miami (+2200), Ole Miss (+2200), Oklahoma (+4000), and Tulane (+7500) behind the Buckeyes. FanDuel and DraftKings do not list James Madison, the 12th seed.
