Denver pursuing Super Bowl bid, mayor says

A general view of the stadium as fans observe the national anthem prior to the Houston Texans facing the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 23, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. / Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

DENVER Denver has submitted an application to bid for the Super Bowl.

• Road to Super Bowl XLVII starts at CBSSports.com
  

The Denver Post reports the Broncos and Visit Denver submitted an application in late August to the NFLs Super Bowl Advisory Committee to bid to host the Super Bowl in 2018, 2019 or 2020. Visit Denver CEO and President Richard Scharf calls it a very preliminary step.

The NFL is expected to select next year which cities are eligible to submit an official bid.

Mayor Michael Hancock spoke about Denver's application Wednesday in a meeting with The Denver Post editorial board.

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New York gets 2014 Super Bowl

In 2010, NFL owners voted to put the 2014 Super Bowl in the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, marking the first time the league has gone to a cold weather site that doesn't have a dome.

There's never been snow in a Super Bowl game -- something that could easily change if Denver hosts the game.

It could also happen in 2014. The average temperature range for the Meadowlands area during February is 24 to 40 degrees, with several inches of rain, according to the bid documents. The game kicks off after sunset in the Eastern time zone, so temperatures would be dropping throughout the night.