Ciara to sing anthem before College Football Playoff

DALLAS (AP) Grammy Award winner Ciara will sing the national anthem before the College Football Playoff national championship game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Jan. 11.

Country singer Canaan Smith will perform ''America the Beautiful'' before the game. Playoff officials also said Thursday that country singer and songwriter Eric Church will headline the championship tailgate, which takes places outside the stadium before the game. Moon Taxi will be the opening act for Church.

The concert is free to anyone holding tickets for the game, which will pit the winners of semifinals between Clemson and Oklahoma and Michigan State and Alabama.