As Clemson and Alabama took the field last night for the College Football Playoff National Championship game, they were doing so on new turf.
It’s no secret that the turf at Levi’s Stadium, where the game was held, has been a subject of consternation by the NFL teams that play on it. As recently as December, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll described the turf as “really lousy.”
But College Football Playoff organizers were determined to provide a quality playing surface, and so according to the Washington Post, they installed a brand new playing surface almost immediately after the New Year’s Eve Redbox Bowl.
Mondays aren't bad with college football to be had!
— Levi's® Stadium (@LevisStadium) January 7, 2019
See how #LevisStadium has transformed since the @RedboxBowl to get ready for the @CFBPlayoff #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/o3yiWvsIhv
West Coast Turf supplied the new surface, trucking in 22 trailers of fresh sod from a farm about 30 minutes away from Levi’s Stadium.
Turnover finished! Less than 24 hrs after the @RedboxBowl @LevisStadium is ready with a fresh new field for the @CFBPlayoff National Championship game in 1 week! Our crews rock pic.twitter.com/Kgrvz99OA7
— West Coast Turf (@WestCoastTurf) January 2, 2019
Danielle Scardino, the company’s marketing director, told the Desert Sun that the turf for the title game playing surface was grown on plastic — producing a denser turf.
“The grass is two inches deep, and it weighs 24 pounds a square foot,” Scardio told the Sun. “The grass doesn’t have time to take root, but it’s heavy enough to where it’s not going to move.”
