HOUSTON — We’re learning more about some of the hoopla surrounding the NCAA college football championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston next month.
The game will be played on Jan. 8 pitting the winner of the Texas-Washington playoff against the winner of the Alabama-Michigan game.
On Thursday, we found out performers for the Allstate Championship Tailgate, which will take place from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the day of the game in blue lots 16, 17 and 18. Country star Walker Hayes will perform, as will rising start Alli Walker. There will also be interactive games, concessions and performances by each team’s marching band.
Pregame festivities inside NRG Stadium start at 6:30 p.m. with kickoff at 6:45 p.m.
Before kickoff, the Theater Under the Stars Musical Theatre Academy Ensemble will perform America the Beautiful, followed by GRAMMY award-winner Fantasia singing the national anthem. Deer Park 12th grader William Stokes will perform both in American Sign Language.
During pregame, 2023 teachers of the year from each U.S. state and territory will be honored on the field, as part of the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.
The tradition of having both schools’ marching bands perform for the pregame and at halftime continues in the national championship this year. We’ll also witness U.S. Army Captain Florent Groberg receive the Medal of Honor for tackling a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2012. He was badly injured, but saved multiple lives.
The Artemis 2 astronauts who will head around the moon next year will also take in the game.
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