The AHSAA announced Wednesday that Auburn will no longer host high school football state championship games at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium was also removed from the hosting rotation.
Next season’s state championship will be held at Protective Stadium in Birmingham and the AHSAA said it is studying other rotation options.
The AHSAA said it reached the conclusion to remove championships from Iron Bowl campuses in coordination with the cities of Auburn, Opelika and Tuscaloosa, citing the possibility that the universities could be seeded to host a College Football Playoff game in the years in which it happens. to host the high school championships.
Super 7 championships are regularly held the first week of December, and the first college football playoff is scheduled to begin in late December of this year. In 2024, the Super 7 is scheduled for December 4 and 6, while the CFP won’t open until December 20.
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Still, the AHSAA cites a scheduling conflict. “All parties regret the need for this rotation to come to an end,” the official announcement said.
The Super 7 in recent years rotated between Auburn, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.
“Hosting the Super 7 has been a tremendous honor for the city of Auburn,” Auburn Mayor Ron Anders said in a statement. “The Super 7 represents a highlight in the lives of many young Alabama students. Our city has taken on this responsibility of hosting with the same level of professionalism that regular visitors to any local sporting event, conference, performance or family gathering have come to expect. Our community has also served Super 7 teams, families and other visitors with the personal investment of time and effort that characterizes the Auburn Spirit.”
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller said Opelika was equally honored to share the duties as host city.
“The lived experiences of the athletes, band members, students, cheerleaders and fans are priceless,” Fuller said. “Being under the big lights of a big stadium is something we will all remember for a lifetime. “We are hoping to one day return to Jordan-Hare Stadium (for the Super 7).”
The 12-team College Football Playoff will be held for the first time next season, with the top four seeds getting byes and the No. 5-8 seeds hosting the No. 9-12 seeds hosting first-round games in The Campus. Once the field is narrowed to four, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are held off campus at neutral sites.