College Football Playoff Semifinal Changes? Don't Count Out Peach, Cotton Bowls Yet

If the No. 3 Clemson wins the ACC Championship Game and locks up a College Football Playoff berth, don't rule out semifinal tickets as a stocking stuffer just yet.

There are still 10 days until Christmas, but Clemson fans might get an early gift this week. 

If the No. 3 Tigers knock off No. 2 Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game and lock up a College Football Playoff berth, there are reasons to believe Clemson could be playing closer to home or at least not traveling to their last postseason destination.

A source close to the situation says that could be the case, and steam is gaining toward the CFP making drastic moves late in the process. There will more to come later this week with this developing story, but if you're still looking for a popular stocking stuffer, don't rule out semifinal tickets and travel reservations to Atlanta or Dallas. 

Currently, the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) and Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) are set to host CFP semifinal games on Jan. 1. However, there are multiple reports that the folks who run the CFP are meeting Thursday to discuss potential changes to the system. 

Officials consider moving Rose Bowl game for college playoffs https://t.co/0fF7YzECKs

— Jeff Tully (@jefftsports) December 15, 2020

Right now, the state of California is essentially locked down because of COVID-19, and the Rose Bowl has already announced that there will be no fans in the stands, so if Clemson ends up heading West, family members and fans will be stuck watching from home

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, local officials recently cut back from 6,000 to 3,000 fans at the NFL's Saints games in the Superdome, and, like California's restrictions, it likely won't be lifted before New Year's Day's bowl games. 

The three CFP bowls that can hold the most fans are the Peach, Cotton and Orange. The latter is hosting the national championship game on Jan. 11, and while the state of Florida lifted capacity restrictions at stadiums, the Miami Dolphins have allowed 13,000 fans in Hard Rock Stadium. 

The Atlanta Falcons are hosting 12 percent of Mercedes-Benz Stadium's capacity of 75,000 this season while more than 30,000 fans are attending "Jerry's World," home of the Dallas Cowboys. 

The Fiesta Bowl, the other postseason destination, is off the table as local officials decided last month to keep fans out of State Farm Stadium due to rising COVID-19 numbers in the state. 

Clemson hasn't played in the Peach Bowl since it became part of the CFP rotation, but the Tigers did make a trip to the 2018 Cotton Bowl, where they beat Notre Dame en route to the program's third national championship. 

Dabo Swinney's squad was denied a fourth title in last season's CFP final against LSU in the Superdome, and Clemson also lost there to Alabama in the 2017 Sugar Bowl.