Big Ten Title Game at Lambeau?

[humanrefutation]

Could potentially lead to a short turnaround between a regular season game and college schedule, but I'm sure the NFL could help work around it.

This would be awesome.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5383940

By Adam Rittenberg
ESPN.com

Big Ten football could be coming to the frozen tundra.

Lambeau Field is the latest venue to express interest in hosting a potential Big Ten football championship game. Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy told ESPN.com on Thursday that the team already has contacted the Big Ten office to express its interest.

After adding Nebraska as its 12th team in June, the Big Ten is now eligible to hold a football championship game. A decision on scheduling a title game could be finalized Aug. 2-3 when Big Ten officials and athletic directors meet in Chicago.

"We'd be very interested," Murphy said. "The Big Ten has got such history and tradition, and to have a championship in Lambeau Field would be tremendous. It'd be good for our community and good for college football to have it in such a historic venue."

Several other Midwest facilities have expressed interest in hosting a potential Big Ten championship, including Detroit's Ford Field, Chicago's Soldier Field and Cleveland Browns Stadium. Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium is also considered a strong candidate.

Murphy, who served as athletic director at Northwestern before joining the Packers, anticipates a formal bidding process to begin if the league decides it will have a championship game beginning in 2011.

Weather could factor into the Big Ten's decision for a championship game site, as leagues like the SEC and Big 12 usually hold their football championship games at indoor facilities.

"Early December, that's balmy in Green Bay," Murphy joked. "To me, that's part of the attraction of college football, to play in the elements. We're going to have a Super Bowl in New York in February, so it's not that much different."

Lambeau Field last hosted college football in 1982-83, when St. Norbert College hosted Fordham, the alma mater of legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.

[MikeIsGood]

This is cool, but I've still got my money on it being Soldier Field. Ultimately, I just don't want it to be in the dome in Indy. Keep it outside.

[trwi7]

Yeah, I don't see this happening. I see it in Indy since it would pretty much be split right in the middle of Big Ten country.

[Kerb Hohl]

My question is -- can Green Bay handle a game of mostly out-of-towners with hotels and amenities?

[chuckleslove]

If it happened in Lambeau I'd probably make the trip but I see it as unlikely. I'd like them to have a rotating system amongst all the Big 10 states/schools that have NFL stadiums, except the Metrodome, **** that place.

[Ryan5UW]

I'm guessing one of Soldier Field, Ford Field or the Indy dome, maybe a rotation of those. I'd perfer Chicago since the game would be outdoors. Doubt it would get to Lambeau.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Why not just rotate between schools? Not ideal, but they are the ones with massive stadiums. Yeah, it gives an advantage but restrict early ticket sales to individual schools.

[Kerb Hohl]

Why not just rotate between schools? Not ideal, but they are the ones with massive stadiums. Yeah, it gives an advantage but restrict early ticket sales to individual schools.

You'd have to immediately cut a few out because of size and crappy venue.

TCF Bank stadium is nice but not big enough for a championship game. That said, they said they left room to expand I think.

Northwestern - no.

Indiana, probably not either.

Granted, those 3 teams' states have the top NFL venues to host in their stead with the Metrodump, Soldier Field, and Lucas Oil.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Why not just rotate between schools? Not ideal, but they are the ones with massive stadiums. Yeah, it gives an advantage but restrict early ticket sales to individual schools.

You'd have to immediately cut a few out because of size and crappy venue.

TCF Bank stadium is nice but not big enough for a championship game. That said, they said they left room to expand I think.

Northwestern - no.

Indiana, probably not either.

Granted, those 3 teams' states have the top NFL venues to host in their stead with the Metrodump, Soldier Field, and Lucas Oil.

I know teams would complain about it not being fair, but it would make more sense than if Green Bay was seriously considered an option. Even TCF is bigger than Lambeau and is better equipped for a big time game. You couldn't even fit all ten teams into the next decade so divide the Big Ten into regions. One year a west coast team, next year in the east, the third in the central.

[Kerb Hohl]

Why not just rotate between schools? Not ideal, but they are the ones with massive stadiums. Yeah, it gives an advantage but restrict early ticket sales to individual schools.

You'd have to immediately cut a few out because of size and crappy venue.

TCF Bank stadium is nice but not big enough for a championship game. That said, they said they left room to expand I think.

Northwestern - no.

Indiana, probably not either.

Granted, those 3 teams' states have the top NFL venues to host in their stead with the Metrodump, Soldier Field, and Lucas Oil.

I know teams would complain about it not being fair, but it would make more sense than if Green Bay was seriously considered an option. Even TCF is bigger than Lambeau and is better equipped for a big time game. You couldn't even fit all ten teams into the next decade so divide the Big Ten into regions. One year a west coast team, next year in the east, the third in the central.

I wasn't aware Lambeau had shrunk to less than 50,000. Right now, TCF is barely bigger capacity-wise than Miller Park.

[Mags FTW]

Even TCF is bigger than Lambeau

Not seating-wise.

[MickeyDavis]

It should be rotated and if it's in Wisconsin it should be in Madison.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

That's what I get when I only skim an article to make a point. I feel ashamed.

You guys are right. It has expansion to 80K.

Fail.

[Kerb Hohl]

That's what I get when I only skim an article to make a point. I feel ashamed.

You guys are right. It has expansion to 80K.

Fail.

WIkipedia's a hell of a tool

[Thunder Muscle]

My question is -- can Green Bay handle a game of mostly out-of-towners with hotels and amenities?

Super Bowl, no, but I think they could for this --- factoring in the Fox Valley it would be able to handle it I'd think.

I would be surprised if this happens, I would put Lucas Oil in Indy or Ford Field in Detroit ahead of it probably. Then maybe Lambeau or Soldier Field.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

That's what I get when I only skim an article to make a point. I feel ashamed.

You guys are right. It has expansion to 80K.

Fail.

WIkipedia's a hell of a tool

Don't see how Wiki would help someone as low of reading comprehension as me.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

This would be sick. I think they should rotate the championship to different venues, it would give local bigten fans a better opportunity to go to the championship game.

TCF does have the capacity to add something like 30,000 seats. If the Vikings decide to tear down the Dome and build on the same site, there is a good chance TCF would get that expansion because the Vikings would have to share TCF with the Gophers. If that happened TCF would be a pretty solid venue for the Championship. 80,000 seats, 2nd largest replay screen in the country, and the twin cities have more than enough accommodations for that type of an event.

That being said, I bet one of the domes gets the championship game, either Ford Field or Lucas Oil.

[Kerb Hohl]

This would be sick. I think they should rotate the championship to different venues, it would give local bigten fans a better opportunity to go to the championship game.

TCF does have the capacity to add something like 30,000 seats. If the Vikings decide to tear down the Dome and build on the same site, there is a good chance TCF would get that expansion because the Vikings would have to share TCF with the Gophers. If that happened TCF would be a pretty solid venue for the Championship. 80,000 seats, 2nd largest replay screen in the country, and the twin cities have more than enough accommodations for that type of an event.

That being said, I bet one of the domes gets the championship game, either Ford Field or Lucas Oil.

Do you think adding 30,000 would be worth the investment for Minnesota? You'll only get 1 title game every decade or so and can you get enough UW, Michigan, Iowa, NDSU, etc. fans to fill that 30,000 for the other years to pay off the investment?



By the time they add on, Favre will be gone, and given that while I'm at work and at my new home in the Twin Cities, I get fliers for single game ticket sales for the Vikings, I'm not so sure they'll be filling those seats either.

[MikeIsGood]

I know you're semi-joking, but what you said was also essentially correct. They don't have enough of a following to fill 30,000 more seats, and building those is just going to bring in more Wisconsin and Iowa fans, which is something they hated when at the dump. If reports from last season were correct, it wasn't even too difficult to get tickets this last season, when it was the grand opening of the place and the Gophs were "good."

Anyways, because of that, TCF doesn't make much sense for the CC. Too small as is, and I don't think it's in their best interests to expand.

Apologies to our resident Gopher fan

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

This would be sick. I think they should rotate the championship to different venues, it would give local bigten fans a better opportunity to go to the championship game.

TCF does have the capacity to add something like 30,000 seats. If the Vikings decide to tear down the Dome and build on the same site, there is a good chance TCF would get that expansion because the Vikings would have to share TCF with the Gophers. If that happened TCF would be a pretty solid venue for the Championship. 80,000 seats, 2nd largest replay screen in the country, and the twin cities have more than enough accommodations for that type of an event.

That being said, I bet one of the domes gets the championship game, either Ford Field or Lucas Oil.

Do you think adding 30,000 would be worth the investment for Minnesota? You'll only get 1 title game every decade or so and can you get enough UW, Michigan, Iowa, NDSU, etc. fans to fill that 30,000 for the other years to pay off the investment?



By the time they add on, Favre will be gone, and given that while I'm at work and at my new home in the Twin Cities, I get fliers for single game ticket sales for the Vikings, I'm not so sure they'll be filling those seats either.

All valid points. As a Gopher fan I have to be optimistic and think at some point our team will become good enough to sustain 80,000 fan sell outs. I doubt any of this happens though because from what I can tell the Vikings are basically back to square one as it concerns their plans for a new stadium.