Tuscaloosa could lose AHSAA Super 7 Championships with College Football Playoff expansion

Tuscaloosa may have hosted its last AHSAA Super 7 football Championships earlier this month, and the coming College Football Playoff expansion is the reason.

Discussions are underway for Tuscaloosa, and Alabama football's Bryant-Denny Stadium, dropping out of the three-city championship rotation, but a decision might not come until January or later in 2024.

“As it stands, our contract with the Alabama High School Athletic Association has Tuscaloosa as the host city for the Super 7 High School Football Championships again in 2025," Kelsey Rush, the CEO of Visit Tuscaloosa, said in a statement to The Tuscaloosa News. "We do recognize that the expansion of the College Football Playoffs may alter this and will work with all parties involved in the coming months to determine what changes might be made."

The AHSAA had no comment.

Auburn may be in the same situation as Tuscaloosa. With the CFP expanding from four to 12 teams starting with the 2024 season, teams will play on-campus games in the first round. Alabama and Auburn would need use of their respective stadiums if seeded to host playoff games.

Current contracts are in place between the AHSAA and host cities Birmingham, Auburn-Opelika and Tuscaloosa, along the University of Alabama, Auburn University and respective entities within each city. Under current rotation, the Super 7 Championships rotate between Birmingham's Protective Life Stadium, Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium and Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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The current rotation was announced in 2019 and runs through 2032. Birmingham hosted in 2021 and is set to host again in 2024, 2027 and 2030. Tuscaloosa, which hosted the Super 7 in early December, is set to host again in 2025, 2029 and 2031, with Auburn-Opelika being set to host in 2026, 2028 and 2032.

Contracts call for a reevaluation of terms after the second go-around of the three-city rotation, which allows any party to terminate within at least 30 days written notice. In Birmingham, that reevaluation would come upon conclusion of the 2024 Super 7 Championships, in 2025 for Tuscaloosa and 2026 for Auburn.

The College Football Playoff expansion could accelerate that process.

If Auburn and Tuscaloosa were to opt out, that would leave Birmingham as the lone city currently contracted. Future championships could be held at Protective Stadium every year or the AHSAA could entertain other locations.

Current Super 7 rotation

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa could lose AHSAA Super 7 Championships with CFP expansion