Latest college football news could signal future changes for Bucs' stadium
Raymond James Stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going back to the 1997 season. The stadium has gone through a number of renovations over the years to remain a venue for NFL and championship-level events. After Monday's news, it appears further changes could be coming down the pike for the venue. […]
Raymond James Stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going back to the 1997 season. The stadium has gone through a number of renovations over the years to remain a venue for NFL and championship-level events.
After Monday's news, it appears further changes could be coming down the pike for the venue. Per Action Sports' Brett McMurphy, Tampa and Raymond James Stadium have been selected to replace Dallas as the host of the 2028-29 College Football Playoff national championship game.
This will be the second time that Raymond James Stadium will host college football's biggest event. The Bucs' home venue hosted the national championship game at the end of the 2016 season. The Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 on a touchdown pass from DeShaun Watson to Hunter Renfrow with one second left in the game.
For that contest, the Tampa Sports Authority added additional seating that upped the attendance to over 75,000 from its normal capacity of 65,890 at that time. That was in 2017, in the earlier stages of "newer, bigger, and better" being required for major sporting events phase.
The stadium has gone through some notable improvements, particularly in the 2016-18 timeframe, when over $150 million was invested to improve the scoreboards, concourses, locker rooms, and concession areas.
It would be a surprise if there wasn't some type of improvement in the works for Tampa to land the sport's crown jewel event. The renewal of the Community Investment Tax, which was set to expire after November 2026, passed by public vote last November for an additional 15-year period. That could serve to help provide potential revenue for substantial renovations.
It's certainly not a bad thing for fans of the Buccaneers, whose lease with the venue is set to expire after the 2028 season. While perhaps not on the same level as what the Jaguars are doing with EverBank Field, a renovated and more state-of-the-art facility would help avoid any potential issues of them having a sufficient facility for years to come.
For now, fans in Tampa hoping to see a piece of football history can pencil in their plans for January 22, 2029 at Raymond James Stadium.
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