Location of the Conference Title Game
I wonder how they are going to choose where to hold the conference championship game. Do they rotate locations like the Big 12 has down (although I think it's at the new Cowboy stadium for a few years) or do they pick one location ala the SEC (Atlanta) and stick with it.
I'm assuming the game would be played on the first saturday in December when all the other conference championship games take place. The one caveat is that an outdoor game at that time of year could take place in some pretty wintry conditions.
Some possibilities: Soldier Field, Lambeau Field, RCA Dome (or whatever the dome is called now where the Colts play), the Dome where the lions play (for the life of me I can't think of its name).
December 16th, 2009 at 1:15 AM ^
I vote Indianapolis. Dome + as neutral a site as you're going to get= win.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:18 AM ^
...because neither Indiana nor Purdue will be playing in any championship games anytime soon, at least in football. This might be a safe bet for a neutral site for at least ten years if not even longer.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:30 AM ^
Sadly, Purdue could say the same about us given that we had the same record overall this year and they finished 3 games ahead of us in the Big Ten standings.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:14 AM ^
I big10 champ game in big10 country will be 50/50 split of fans (at least in the stadium). No need to worry about neutral or not.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:19 AM ^
Not going to happen, but it would be beyond awesome.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:21 AM ^
Indy = Lucas Oil Stadium, Detroit = Ford Field, Minneapolis = Metrodome.
Indy seems best, as mejunglechop says. But really, they'd be crazy to play it in a non-dome stadium. Although early December is not too terribly bad yet, there is still the potential (albeit unlikely) that an outdoor game could be halted by a blizzard. Then you've got a helluva mess on your hands.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:33 AM ^
Blizzards don't halt games, they just make them more fun.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:13 AM ^
Not to spread teams.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:30 AM ^
Lucas Oil gets my vote.
It is as close to being neutral as possible.
A relatively comparable distance away from most Big Ten schools.
Like Saint Louis, Indianapolis is one of the most accessible places in the middle of the country. Big Ten fans have no problem getting there from N, S, E, or W.
And finally, that place looks incredible! I have driven by it while passing through Indy several times and I am impressed with what they did. Especially after the old dome they used to have that looked like one of those indoor driving ranges.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:38 AM ^
Play it in outdoors, if at all possible in a blizzard. A signature Big Ten event. Tell recruits they're being groomed for NFL playoff games at Foxboro (Gillette, whatever) or Lambeau.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:04 AM ^
Lucas Oil, Ford Field, Soldier Field, And maybe even in Cleveland, Cincinnati or Pittsburg. But priority given to Detroit and Indy for being picturesque indoor stadiums.
Miller Park in Milwaukee would be a good option too.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:00 AM ^
I would rotate it amongst several indoor and outdoor NFL stadiums in b10 country. NFL stadiums would be Detroit, Cleavland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Minneapolis, Chicago and Cincinnati. Thus it would be an every 8 year rotation. And who cares about the weather in one of the outdoor NFL stadiums. It would build character to play in a blizzard at Green Bay!
December 16th, 2009 at 7:55 AM ^
when did they get an NFL team
December 16th, 2009 at 10:41 AM ^
the same year MSU won a national championship and a bowl game in the same season.
December 16th, 2009 at 2:10 AM ^
Don't forget, Indy is about to host a Super Bowl next year, they've hosted a ton of Final Fours and their downtown is very convenient for an out of town crowd, not to mention access to Interstates 70, 74, 65 and 69 that literally all go thru Indy. They're already going to have the infrastructure to pull this off in year 1.
You can say the same about Minneapolis as well, as you never need to go outside to get around down there.
That said, Lucas Oil >>>>> The Homerdome. I've seen a game in both and it's really no comparison. Also, there is a much smaller chance of getting caught in a December blizzard in Indy and being snowed in than there is in Minneapolis. I've spent time living outside both Indy and Detroit and I never felt unsafe near downtown Indy. Hard to say that about the D.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:20 AM ^
the Metrodome is not connected to the skyway system in Minneapolis. You have to go outdoors to get there. I realize this further supports your Indy argument.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:26 AM ^
You obviously didn't live on the near East side of Indy in 2006. That place was like a war zone. Building a stadium sure helped that deficit in the police and fire budgets...
/crotchety former Indianapolis resident
December 16th, 2009 at 7:23 AM ^
Yes, you will have a hard time convincing 110,000 people to sit in the January December snow, but I wonder, genuinely, if the Big Ten is going to look past the fact that they have seven stadiums in the conference than can seat more than the 70,000 that Lucas Oil can seat in its Super Bowl seating configuration, admittedly, none of which are outdoors. I suspect that they will keep it in Indy, which will likely mean a push for the Big Ten basketball tournament to make more of a rotation among the Target Center, United Center, Bradley Center, Palace of Auburn Hills, the new Pittsburgh Arena, Quicken Loans Arena, and (if Missouri joins), the Scotttrade Center along with Conseco, if the title game lands semi-permanently in Indy.
Still, the Big Ten would be leaving 40,000 tickets on the table. That's money there. That said, would those 40,000 tickets end up being sold? You don't want an awkward ACC title game issue.
They would also be leaving one of the hallmarks of Big Ten football on the table, playing in the wintry elements (that said, this may be the exact reason to play in a retractable roof stadium, all the comforts of a dome, with the potential to play outside if you want to do so.)
December 16th, 2009 at 8:18 AM ^
Sorry...but I cannot imagine the Big Ten signing up for a championship game at Soldier Field or Lambeau Field in December, where it could be 5 degrees in a blizzard. It will almost certainly be in a domed stadium, such as the RCA Dome or Ford Field.
I detest football in domed stadiums, especially for a conference that plays all of its other games outdoors, but I am sure that's what they will do.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:47 AM ^
It will be without question in a domed stadium, although I'd like to see Chicago.
Chicago is the capital on the midwest IMO and would be the best fit as far as city goes.
I've been to Indy a few times and think it's a pretty boring city, nicknamed "Nap Town."
December 16th, 2009 at 8:47 AM ^
I just went to Lucas Oil Stadium this past Sunday for the game and it was a great place to watch a game. The traffic flow coming into Indy and going home was very easy also. The facilities there are great as well. But I agree with the others on this one. I would love to see it played outside like football was meant to be played.
December 16th, 2009 at 9:12 AM ^
I, too, would personally love to see it played in the weather.
Watching the Big East championship game earlier this month -- in the snow -- was incredible.
December 16th, 2009 at 9:32 AM ^
We've done a nice job with the Big Ten basketball tournament. No reason why we couldn't do the same with a Big Ten football championship game. Say what you will about Indy being "boring." It's one of the premier hosts for sporting events anywhere in the country. Multiple Final Fours, Pan Am games, and the crown jewel of all sporting events - the Super Bowl - is on its way.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:10 AM ^
in the stadium of the highest ranked team. If that means Ohio State or Michigan have to travel to Madtown or Iowa City or vice versa, so be it. A campus atmosphere would be absolutely electrically crazy.
Yeah, I know it will be played in a goddamn dome at a boring neutral site, probably Indy. Yawn. Zzzzzzz.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:11 AM ^
I think that to start, it should rotate between Chicago, Detroit and Indy every 3 years for the first two rotations, then pick a permanent host city based on how good of a host the city was.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:21 AM ^
It's a SHOWCASE game, people! No way do you put it in Lambeau, Soldier, or any outdoor venue. I know we think we're all rough 'n tough and want to take our clothes off in zero degree weather and paint our bodies, but that's not the way to showcase your conference.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
The NFL seems to "showcase" their product pretty well in the zero degree weather of Lambeau.
I don't even know how this is a question. It should definitely be in Chicago at Soldier field. The SEC championship game is in the largest southern city (Atlanta), the Big 12 has their game in largest Mid American city (Dallas), and the Big 10 should have their hypothetical championship game in the largest Midwestern city.
Chicago, aside from the stadium itself, has significantly more to offer in terms of draw for fans than Indy does. In terms of dining, nightlife, entertainment, museums, etc., Chicago is clearly superior. The fact that the game will be outdoors only adds to the drama of it.
Why do you think the Big 10 is headquartered in Chicago?
December 16th, 2009 at 2:05 PM ^
The NCAA is located in Indianapolis. I'm not arguing your point that there is more to do in Chicago. There certainly is. Logistically though, the city is a nightmare. Between the neverending massive highway construction projects from the east and the horror that is ORD I can't say it's any better to hold the game there than Indy.
Both cities would undoubtedly do a fine job. The lack of a stadium with a roof is what's going to kill Chicago.
Also, the RCA Dome was demolished a few years ago. Lucas Oil is a completely different venue.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:31 AM ^
It should be in Ann Arbor. The biggest stadium in the conference (and world) and right in the middle. Plus shiny new skyboxes.
I know it wouldn't be fair, especially if M was like 9-3 and playing an undefeated Iowa or Penn State or someone. Even if Michigan wasn't in it, I'd probably still go, though.
It's now the third week of December, and although it's been cold, I don't remember any blizzards. I think the weather is only an issue for the fans who don't want to sit outside. The Cincy-Pitt game last week was awesome to watch.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:40 PM ^
Biggest football stadium, yes. Biggest football stadium in the world, yes. Biggest stadium in the world? No.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R67wkGGP9L4
I support an outdoor championship. That said, Skydome (Rogers Centre) is available cheap every winter. Big 10 Canadian Vacation!
December 16th, 2009 at 4:10 PM ^
Michigan Stadium isn't the biggest stadium in the world. The national stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea seats 200,000. A soccer stadium in Brazil also holds 150,000. Sorry to burst your pride bubble.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:08 PM ^
Let's just hope football doesn't follow the path of BigTen baseball and permanently hold the championship in Columbus...
How awful would that be for BigTen fans? What if OSU wasn't in it...the Buckeye faithful would just make it there weekend duty to make life a living hell for the fans that came into town.
(I obviously don't think this would ever happen...nor do I think they would ever hold it at a BigTen stadium)
December 16th, 2009 at 11:55 AM ^
Seriously, guys. Come owwwnnnn. I'm super cereal there is global warming going on, and it's coming at a rapid pace. We definitely could have it outside -- it'll probably average around 50 in mid-December in a couple years. I'm cereal.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:08 PM ^
For purely selfish reasons I would love if it were held in Detroit every year. However, the best permanent location would be Indy. Detroit would be a home game for Michigan (if in the game) and I don't think many people want to go to Minneapolis in December.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:38 PM ^
I'm not an American and never played NCAA football, but I had no idea people in the USA were so scarred of the cold.
I know our climates are different, but I would think the weather isn't too bad during the first week of December down there is it? We never get any blizzrds until Januaury at least as a rule. Plus, so what if it is a blizzard, these guys won't melt.
Someone above said showing a game in the snow won't showcase your conference.....What better way to showcase the B10 conference than a cold snowy afternoon game in soldier field, when you can see the players breath in the air before each play.....I can't think of any.
December 16th, 2009 at 1:14 PM ^
Blizzards before January are not out of the question. Although AA hasn't been swamped yet this year, the entire western part of the state was hit hard and WI declared a state of emergency after getting 17'' in a storm a few weeks ago. So that kind of snowfall is not out of the question.
Also, do you want to have the potential for a repeat of the 1950 M-OSU Snow Bowl? Or even a more recent example, how good of a game would it be if we had conditions like the M-NW game from last year. Although snow sounds cool, there is always the possibility for tons of snow, hail, freezing rain, etc. Games played in those conditions are usually sloppy and don't do too much to make a team look good.
December 16th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ^
I'm sure if/when it happens the game will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, but the best location is clearly Soldier Field. It's not even debatable.
December 16th, 2009 at 5:03 PM ^
The Big 12 has been taking turns between Arrowhead in KC and that video game Jerry Jones built in Texas. Arrowhead has actually had some decent weather during Championship week so Chicago is hardly out of the question. Although Indy has come a long way Chicago is a much better way to spend a weekend.
December 18th, 2009 at 12:10 AM ^
The game would obviously have to be played in a Dome. So you have the choice of the Metrodome, barf, Lucas Oil stadium in Indy or Ford Field in Detroit. The Metrodome is out because it is a piece of crap and geographically is a haul for most Big Ten fans. Indy or the D are the wisest choices. I would choose Indy because the MAC Championship game is played there and you can't really do two games in one day in the same stadium. I smile at the thought of a Big Ten Championship Game, that would be sweet.