It's hard to imagine a better venue for college football's postseason first step away from madness.

From colleague Brett McMurphy's report:

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is a "virtual lock" to host the first championship game in college football's new four-team playoff, sources said.

Wednesday was the deadline to submit bids to host the championship on Jan. 12, 2015 and only the North Texas and Tampa Bay, Fla., communities submitted bids, sources said.

The BCS commissioners will meet April 23-25 in Pasadena, Calif., to officially announce the first championship site and other details about the upcoming playoff.

The playoff won't begin until the end of the 2014 season but an industry source added that it's "pretty clear" that Cowboys Stadium will be getting the first title game of the new postseason system.

The Big 12's footprint has lacked one of college football's biggest games since the birth of the BCS phased out the Cotton Bowl from the sport's biggest postseason showcases. Those days are over, and even after the title game is done, you can bet Cowboys Stadium will host plenty more semifinal games in the years to come.

For one, this just seems right. Cowboys Stadium is the nation's nicest football stadium, even if it lacks the history, scenery or reverence of others like the Rose Bowl. It'll be on display on that night, and if a Big 12 team happens to find its way into the game, the atmosphere will be yet another reminder of how good it is to have big games take place in your backyard.