Regarding Gophers playing a nonconference games at Williams Arena against power conference teams apart from the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, it boils down to revenue. If the Gophers play Oklahoma at Williams Arena, it means that we have to go to Norman in return. Going to Norman means giving up revenue from a home game and getting a short end on revenue down at OU while the TV revenue would be nil since it would be part of the Big 12 rather than the Big Ten package. With a neutral site game or one of the various early season tournaments in places like Hawaii, the Bahamas, and so on, the games get staged by independent promoters that can sell off the TV rights or in some cases are actually owned by an arm of ESPN through which the TV rights are arranged. The visiting teams get a big enough cut off of these neutral site games via the gate, TV rights fees, and sponsorships that the promoter shares to make leaving home worthwhile. While not the case with a trip to Sioux Falls, it is also seen as helpful to the recruiting wars to be seen as playing in Maui, New York, and other desirable locales. The upshot is the Gophers go to Sioux City to play the Sooners and fans at Williams Arena see the Gophers play teams like North Carolina A&T, North Florida, and Mount St. Mary's in nonconference play.