The Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 to claim their second College

Football National Championship in the last three years with the game being played at Levi’s

Stadium in Santa Clara.

This was the first time that the Bay Area had hosted the College Football National

Championship game and that alone brought new aspects that many here in the Bay Area don’t

normally see since we associate with our abundance of pro teams.

The entire weekend was a small representation to what San Francisco had in

2016 leading up to Super Bowl 50. The game was just a small percentage of events that took

place within the South Bay which included a fan fest, free nightly concerts, and an interactive fan-driven “meeting place.”

The fan fest known as Playoff Fan Central was an experience that brought multiple features as it

included many exhibits from big name sponsors such as Samsung, PlayStation, and Nike. Also included was an opportunity to take pictures with the trophies of the New Year’s Six bowl games and multiple autograph signings throughout the day.

At night, the AT&T Playoff Playlist held at Discovery Meadow Park was a concert series that brought many performers like Alessia Cara, Leon Bridges, and Logic, completely free. However,

the final night that included OneRepublic and Ellie Goulding was cancelled due to the rain that

affected the San Jose region.

“The Quad” held at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose was the home to fans of Alabama and

Clemson with many activities being held daily. It served as the main set location to ESPN, who

produced many live telecasts throughout the weekend.

Fans for both teams took over most of San Jose, as expected but with the game being played on the west coast and both campuses being thousands of miles away, tickets for the game were lower than previous games in years past. Tickets on reseller website Stubhub dropped to as low as $120, a price that makes the $2000 ticket 2018 final seem like a luxury.

Overall, the weekend was a new experience for many. Both Alabama and Clemson fans filled up the In-N-Out in Millbrae and for many of us in the Bay Area, it was cool to see how much college football is valued in other parts of the country.