Why Clemson vs. LSU’s Halftime Show Won’t Feature a Big-Name Musical Act

The College Football Playoff National Championship game is here and it will be a battle of undefeated teams with No. 1 LSU facing No. 3 Clemson. And with any championship game, fans will be looking forward to the halftime show. However, this year is going to be a little different from recently halftime shows at the national title game as there won’t be a big-name artist performing. That leads to the question, why is it different this year?

With it being the 150th anniversary of college football, there’s going to be a celebration during halftime. The marching bands for both teams will perform and according to Sporting News, the top 11 players from the 150-year anniversary of college football will be recognized.

“There were a number of musical acts scheduled to perform at a fan fest away from the Superdome throughout the weekend,” Eli Boettger of Sporting News wrote. “On Monday, that stage will include country music artist Tim McGraw and alt-rock band Judah & the Lion. It’s not clear how or when those performances will be shown during ESPN’s coverage of the game.”

Marching bands performing during halftime of the CFP National Championship is nothing new. But in the past, there have been top music artists featured for fans who aren’t at the game. In 2018, Kendrick Lamar performed during halftime at it was broadcast on ESPN. Last year, Lil Wayne and Imagine Dragons took center stage. Both performances were done outside the stadiums while the bands performed inside.

As much as fans want to see the bands at halftime, the actual game is what everyone’s looking forward to. Both teams come into the game undefeated, but LSU is the favorite. The Tigers feature one of the top offenses in the country thanks to quarterback Joe Burrow who won the Heisman Trophy this year. LSU is looking for its fourth national championship in school history and first since 2007.

The Clemson Tigers might be the underdog, but they are a dangerous team. The defending national champions have won the last 29 games and they have reached the national championship game four out of the last five years. Clemson is led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence who has thrown for 3,431 yards and 36 touchdowns. He has won every game as a starter for Clemson.