COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M will host its first-ever College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on December 20, and city officials say the economic impact could provide one of the biggest financial boosts of the year.
The Aggies will face Miami in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, with the game landing during what is normally a slow period for local tourism — right after graduation week and leading into the holidays.
College Station city officials say regular-season home games already generate major economic activity, with an average impact of about $20 million per game in College Station alone. However, the playoff game is expected to draw even larger crowds and spending.
Several hotels reported selling out just days after the playoff game was announced, according to Jeremiah Cook, assistant director of the College Station tourism office.
“We could not be more excited about a football game coming here during a usually kind of slow period,” Cook said. “We spend a lot of time here in our office promoting Christmas in College Station, trying to get folks to come into town because it’s usually a really quiet time.”
The game pairs with graduation week, creating a packed schedule for visitors. Graduation runs Tuesday through Thursday, followed by yell practice Friday and the playoff game Saturday.
Cook said the timing could be crucial for local businesses. Instead of hotels and restaurants experiencing their typical December dip, the playoff game could push some businesses from starting the new year in the red to operating in the black.
The $20 million economic impact from regular season games spreads across multiple sectors, including restaurants, retail, gas stations and other visitor spending throughout the community.
“Adding another one of those [games] into the local economy, I think, is huge,” Cook said. “It’s something that we can’t replicate; we can’t go out and make another football game, but adding one extra to this season, I think, is going to be really critical.”
Cook noted that hotel revenue this season has been influenced more by opponents than game times. An 11 a.m. game against South Carolina generated the highest hotel revenue of the season, bringing in $3.1 million.
The playoff matchup against Miami could surpass those numbers, though Cook said it likely won’t reach the record-breaking revenue generated by last year’s Texas game.
College Station typically sees decreased activity when the university’s 70,000-plus students leave town. Visit College Station focuses significant resources on December, June, and July — months when students are away, and fewer conferences occur on campus.
“That’s when those places need people the most,” Cook said.
The playoff game provides an unexpected boost during this traditionally quiet period, requiring coordination between emergency management, game day operations, city officials and university staff.
Cook said the community hopes the economic benefits extend beyond just the home playoff game, with potential watch parties at local venues like Northgate and Century Square if the Aggies advance in the tournament.
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