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College football championship survival guide: Parking, tailgating, MARTA, what not to bring

Wipe that late night Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl-watching blurriness out of your eyes. It's time to really get focused now:

College football’s National Championship Game in Atlanta is right around the corner!

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The game kicks off at 8 p.m. on Monday, January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With longtime rivals Alabama and Georgia vying for national bragging rights, along with the usual Southern ones, there's no telling how high emotions and ticket prices will go.

But one thing we already know for sure: On Game Day and the two days leading up to it, downtown Atlanta will be packed with hundreds of thousands of people taking in free concerts, Playoff Fan Central, the "Extra Yard 5K" run and the rest of the related pigskinpalooza

If you’re one of them, you doubtless have lots of questions. Like: Is there public transportation to events? Are coolers allowed? Can I really go to Media Day if I’m not a member of the media?

Yes.

No.

Yes, but only if you want to see how glamorous our jobs really are, cough, cough!

Here's your complete Survival Guide to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship weekend:

When: Saturday, January 6 - Monday, January 8, 2018.

Where: Atlanta. Everything takes place on "Championship Campus," a walkable area bordered by Northside Drive, Ivan Allen Junior Blvd. and Ted Turner Drive (see map here). Besides most major hotels and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, venues located on "campus" include Centennial Olympic Park (site of the nightly AT&T Playoff Live! concert series and fireworks shows), the Georgia Aquarium (Taste of the Championship) and the Georgia World Congress Center (Playoff Fan Central).

Driving and Parking: There are more than 20,000 parking spaces within a 20-minute walk of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which offers offers maps and links to pre-purchase parking for most stadium events.