Phoenix, Tampa, Fla., to host college football national title games IRVING, Texas, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Phoenix will host the 2016 college football national championship game and Tampa, Fla., has landed the honors for 2017 in selections announced Monday. The College Football Playoff selection committee said the 2016 title game will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals NFL team, on Jan. 11, 2016. That year, the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl will host the national semifinals. Meanwhile, Tampa's Raymond James Stadium will be the site of the following year's title game on Jan. 9, 2017. The Chick-fil-A Bowl and Fiesta Bowl will serve as the national semifinals. The new, four-team playoff format will replace the Bowl Championship Series rankings in determining college football's top team starting next season. The first national championship under the new system will be held Jan. 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, home of the NFL's Cowboys. The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will host the inaugural national semifinals.