Cookeville, the "hub city" of the Upper Cumberland, will again partner with Tennessee Tech University and 750 volunteers to roll out the red carpet for an estimated 40,000 attendees during this weekend's 2016 BlueCross Bowl, December 1-3.

For the eighth year in a row, 16 teams will arrive at their destination on the "Road to Cookeville" to compete in eight TSSAA championship football games. Approximately 800 coaches and players will be joined by family and fans to make the trip, a journey that started in August as practice season began.

Cookeville's Host Committee has been working throughout the year to create an unparalleled experience for the participating student athletes and their fans. Game Day Host volunteers will greet teams, then accompany them from the moment they arrive until their team bus departs. Additional volunteers will offer a welcome by serving on parking teams and by working ticket booths and gates. They will also sell programs, host the media tent, and serve as community ambassadors in the VIP suites. Local restaurants provide complimentary food to the media and VIP areas. This year a special wi-fi system via Spectrum is provided at Tucker Stadium just for the games.

The 750 volunteers from throughout Putnam County and the Upper Cumberland region will welcome teams from across the state. The eastern and western parts of the state are each sending six teams to Cookeville. The middle region of the state will have four teams.

• Farragut, Knoxville Central, and Knoxville Webb will be representing Knox County. Other East Tennessee teams are Greenback, Alcoa, and Marion County.
  
  
• Whitehaven, Trezevant, East, and Lausanne Collegiate School will be representing Memphis. Also from West Tennessee are Liberty (Jackson) and Dresden.
  
  
• Coming to Cookeville from Middle Tennessee are Independence (Franklin), Oakland (Murfreesboro), MBA (Nashville), and Brentwood Academy.

The game lineup is as follows: Thursday, 3 p.m., Lausanne vs. Knoxville Webb; Thursday, 7p.m., MBA vs. Brentwood Academy; Friday, 11 a.m., Dresden vs. Greenback; Friday, 3 p.m., Liberty vs. Alcoa; Friday, 7 p.m., Independence vs. Farragut; Saturday, 11 a.m., Trezevant vs. Marion County; Saturday, 3 p.m., Memphis East vs. Knoxville Central; and Saturday, 7 p.m., Whitehaven vs. Oakland. All game times are Central Standard Time.

Cookeville is located on Interstate 40, 70 miles east of Nashville. The most direct route to the stadium is to take Exit 286 and follow Willow Avenue for three miles north to the university campus. Fans who come to the BlueCross Bowl will be able to take advantage of Cookeville's 1,400 hotel rooms, more than 100 restaurants, and hundreds of retail opportunities. Tennessee Tech has 10,492 students on a 235-acre campus. Tucker Stadium seats 16,500 and has an artificial turf surface.

TSSAA's BlueCross Bowl in Cookeville is a combined effort between the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Cookeville, Putnam County, and Tennessee Tech University.

For TSSAA information and playoff brackets, go to: www.tssaa.org.