Phoenix – The Fiesta Bowl was awarded the Bowl Championship Series’ first national championship game under its new “double-hosting” system after the 2006 season, BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg announced Tuesday.
On the second day of the three-day BCS meetings, the Fiesta Bowl learned the Arizona Legislature would grant it $1.75 million in sales taxes and user fees to help finance the game. It guaranteed the BCS would continue its current rotation when the new TV contract begins with Fox starting with the 2006 season.
Without help from the state, the BCS could have skipped the Fiesta Bowl in 2006.
“It was theoretically possible,” Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker said. “We were very fearful the message it would have sent without support from our state leadership.”
The title game will be the first under the new “double-hosting” system in which a rotation of the four BCS bowls – Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Rose – would host two games, its traditional bowl and a national title game the week after. The game is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2007, at the Arizona Cardinals’ new 75,000-seat stadium in suburban Glendale, scheduled for completion in July 2006. The 2005 national championship game will be played in the Rose Bowl.
Also, Weiberg said the BCS is leaning toward finding a replacement poll for the departing Associated Press. He prefers to avoid voters who are current university administrators.
John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
