Big Ten Championship game?

[maroonfive]

Since the new Vikings stadium will be the newest and state of the art is there any chance the Big Ten Championship game come here? I think it should.

Ski - U - Mah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GoAUpher]

I've always doubted it. Putting in MN means it's no longer centrally located and isn't a driveable game for about 2/3's of the conference.

 

[RodentRampage]

They could certainly put in a bid for it.

 

[upnorthkid]

i see really no chance. the big ten loves lucas oil stadium and it pulls the game out of the central of the big ten and makes travel a problem (which i think is dumb but it'll be one of the arguments main points). so i really don't think we're going to see it here. i would love to be proven wrong though!

 

[GoAUpher]

They could certainly put in a bid for it.

Definitely. I just don't think they'll get it. Honestly, I think they'll keep it Lucas Oil rather than move it around. Moving it around hasn't worked for the ACC or the Big 12. Keeping it in one place has proven to be a boon for the SEC. Obviously there are some other factors in play (SEC being football mad for example) but a consistent central location has fewer risks in terms of attendance.

 

[GoAUpher]

it pulls the game out of the central of the big ten and makes travel a problem (which i think is dumb but it'll be one of the arguments main points).

How is it a dumb argument? When the majority of the conference would have to fly in that's going to hurt attendance (which is both a money and perception issue).

 

[Grant]

Honestly I hope not. I don't want to see our city over run with badgers huskers and hawkeyes any more than is absolutely necessary and all will make big ten title games regularly while we won't. Keep it far away until we get a respectable program.

 

[upnorthkid]

How is it a dumb argument? When the majority of the conference would have to fly in that's going to hurt attendance (which is both a money and perception issue).

i'm just saying odds are pretty good if your team is playing for a big ten championship you will travel an extra 250 miles. and in that location, odds are also quite good that the local sports fan will buy tickets. we all know how well teams from the big ten travel. you can't really use the bowl games in the south (where the only real option is to fly and often its for low tier bowl that means nothing) as an example of poor travel. i just am of the opinion that the hype of the big ten championship (unless its somehow a dud matchup with a 12-0 team vs something like an 8-4 purdue team for example) will always draw a full capacity crowd. i'm not saying that it will necessarily be the entirely the playing team's fans, but the stadium would fill on hype along imo.

 

[Gophs]

For now, I think it should stay in Indianapolis. However, if the game becomes more of an event and more popular, I wouldn't mind seeing it rotate and satisfy all of the B1G Ten regions. Here's the breakdown: The Vikings stadium (Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa region), Ford Field (Michigan and Michigan State), Soldiers Field (Illinois and Northwestern), Paul Brown Stadium (Ohio State), Lambeau Field (Wisconsin), The Linc in Philadelphia (Penn State) and Lucas Oil (Indiana and Purdue). In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing this happen in basketball, too. All the other sports have a rotating venue. Why not football and basketball. I actually think that would be a fair solution.

 

[upnorthkid]

For now, I think it should stay in Indianapolis. However, if the game becomes more of an event and more popular, I wouldn't mind seeing it rotate and satisfy all of the B1G Ten regions. Here's the breakdown: The Vikings stadium (Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa region), Ford Field (Michigan and Michigan State), Soldiers Field (Illinois and Northwestern), Paul Brown Stadium (Ohio State), Lambeau Field (Wisconsin), The Linc in Philadelphia (Penn State) and Lucas Oil (Indiana and Purdue). In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing this happen in basketball, too. All the other sports have a rotating venue. Why not football and basketball. I actually think that would be a fair solution.

this is an interesting proposal. i think the deal breaker would come down in that some teams get a seeming home field advantage more than others given that they make it (MN, the Michigans, WI). teams like Neb would be kind of left out in the cold where they don't really have a home site if they were to make it in their year. but this does make an interesting proposal and think it would be fun to have a rotation. i just don't see it happening.

 

[GoAUpher]

i'm just saying odds are pretty good if your team is playing for a big ten championship you will travel an extra 250 miles.

Tell that to the Big 12 or (especially) the ACC. Both moved the event around and both have had attendance issues. In the ACC's case we're talking half empty stadium bad.

and in that location, odds are also quite good that the local sports fan will buy tickets.

So locals who won't show up to catch Gophers games for $5 will shell out the big money to watch teams that they have no rooting interest for?

we all know how well teams from the big ten travel. you can't really use the bowl games in the south (where the only real option is to fly and often its for low tier bowl that means nothing) as an example of poor travel.

Where did I say anything about bowl games?

i just am of the opinion that the hype of the big ten championship (unless its somehow a dud matchup with a 12-0 team vs something like an 8-4 purdue team for example) will always draw a full capacity crowd. i'm not saying that it will necessarily be the entirely the playing team's fans, but the stadium would fill on hype along imo.

I'm not guaranteeing that a game in MN would have problems. I'm saying that the risk goes up and that the conference has little incentive to take on extra risk when they have a centrally located city that has lots of downtown hotels and bars that can offer them a lucrative game and can reduce the risk of a non-sellout.

I'd love to be wrong on this though.

 

[upnorthkid]

Tell that to the Big 12 or (especially) the ACC. Both moved the event around and both have had attendance issues. In the ACC's case we're talking half empty stadium bad.


So locals who won't show up to catch Gophers games for $5 will shell out the big money to watch teams that they have no rooting interest for?


Where did I say anything about bowl games?


I'm not guaranteeing that a game in MN would have problems. I'm saying that the risk goes up and that the conference has little incentive to take on extra risk when they have a centrally located city that has lots of downtown hotels and bars that can offer them a lucrative game and can reduce the risk of a non-sellout.

I'd love to be wrong on this though.

I agree with you that its not going to happen. I never said it was and agree that they will say that the risk reward portion does not make sense to them. in regards to your first point, I can't find a true equivalence in passion for football between the Big Ten schools and the ACC. There's no way you can make the argument that they are equal. As far as the Big 12, they were attracting a pretty good crowd to their games. 78,000 in Cowboys Stadium in 2010, 76,000 in cowboys in 2009, 71,000 in arrowhead in 2008. These are close to at capacity crowds in cities that didn't necessarily have the closest teams playing and the matchups were not always top tier. I know this is recent history as well.
For the 2nd point, I'm not saying that they are going to be Gophers fans that buy the tix necessarily. Just as a sports fan looking for a great game to see in person will buy a ticket to the final four games or regionals, people will buy them for the sake of seeing great teams play.
For my 3rd point, I'm not saying that you personally said that. perhaps a better choice of word would have been "one" or "a person" instead of "you".
On the last point, I agree with you that there would be logistically problems with moving and once again I don't see it happening. But I'm of the opinion that creating a legacy for the game could happen by rotating the game and reaching more fans on a local level. Again i don't see it happening but I would love to be wrong

 

[GoAUpher]

On #1, I would never argue that the ACC and B1G are equal in anything football. But that precedent is out there and it's the one that folks like Delaney are going to factor into their decisions. As for the Big 12, I believe their attendance issues were @ Arrowhead earlier in the 2000's, but I could be wrong.
On #2, I can see it. But at the same time given how pricey the seats are I can see folks saying forget it and staying home too. Heck, in Indy this year they had issues selling out. And that was the first game, with 2 jacked up fan bases, in a centrally located city that was a pretty easy drive for both fanbases.
On #3, thanks for clarifying. I was pretty confused.

But there is no doubt that the City, the State, and the U should push at every opportunity for a game to be held there. That's a no brainer.

 

[supadupafly]

Honestly I hope not. I don't want to see our city over run with badgers huskers and hawkeyes any more than is absolutely necessary and all will make big ten title games regularly while we won't. Keep it far away until we get a respectable program.

please. pessimistic much? you can remove the hogeyes and the huskers from that sentence. and once kill and company really get this thing going, you can remove that STD invested slut, becky badger, from that sentence too.

 

[joshvanklomp]

For now, I think it should stay in Indianapolis. However, if the game becomes more of an event and more popular, I wouldn't mind seeing it rotate and satisfy all of the B1G Ten regions. Here's the breakdown: The Vikings stadium (Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa region), Ford Field (Michigan and Michigan State), Soldiers Field (Illinois and Northwestern), Paul Brown Stadium (Ohio State), Lambeau Field (Wisconsin), The Linc in Philadelphia (Penn State) and Lucas Oil (Indiana and Purdue). In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing this happen in basketball, too. All the other sports have a rotating venue. Why not football and basketball. I actually think that would be a fair solution.

Pretty sure B1G officials want to keep it indoors, so that eliminates 4 of your 7 proposed sites.