Does this look like a good idea?
In the wake of Nebraska joining the Big 10 after this season, several venues have shown interest in hosting the Big 10 championship game (assuming the conference agrees to have one). Initially, Indianapolis and Detroit, both indoor stadiums, were considered front-runners but now other venues want to be in the mix. Recently, Chicago’s Soldier Field and Cleveland Brown’s Stadium submitted their names for consideration. To continue the theme of outdoor venues, Green Bay’s Lambeau Field just announced its intentions of being the host city.
The outdoor stadium idea is nice in theory but the reality is it’s not a good idea, especially at historic Lambeau Field. First, Lambeau has not hosted a college game since 1983 when Fordham played St. Norbert’s. So can the city really handle the magnitude of a Big 10 championship game and its heard of fans (Green Bay lacks in hotels and restaurants)? Even if the city could, playing outdoors in Green Bay is simply crazy and should not be considered for a championship game. Green Bay’s average temperature in December hovers between 29 and 13 degrees Fahrenheit, not to mention the ice and snow. There is no business for a championship game to be played in those climates. Just look at every single major bowl game. They are all played in warm weather climates. The Big 10 teams need to get adjusted to playing in warm weather for the bowl season. For the major bowl games, the conference is already at a disadvantage because they have to transition from cold weather to warm weather. This coupled by the fact that the Big 10 teams generally travel significantly farther than their opponents come post-season play.
Lambeau and Soldier Field are both iconic and historic venues and do deserve college football games, but not in the dead cold of winter. The Big 10 should seriously consider Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s in Big 10 country, centrally located, and it’s a neutral site (no disrespect to Indiana, but the Hoosiers will not be in this game for a very long time). Lucas Oil is already host to a bowl game and the city is more than capable of handling the Big 10 championship game.
I do like the idea of Lambeau or Soldier Field hosting college football games, but not for the Big 10 crown.
