2011 Big Ten Championship Game will be in Indy

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http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/080510aab.html

Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium Selected as Proposed Site for 2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game

Big Ten will conduct thorough review process to determine site or sites for 2012 and beyond

Aug. 5, 2010

Park Ridge, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced today that Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis has been chosen as the proposed site for the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game to be played in December of 2011. The conference office will begin a 30-day period to negotiate a one-year agreement with Indiana Sports Corp and Lucas Oil Stadium to host the game. Once the 2011 agreement is in place, the conference office will conduct a thorough process over the next year to determine the location of the Big Ten Football Championship Game in 2012 and beyond.

"We are excited to work with Indiana Sports Corp and Lucas Oil Stadium to finalize an agreement to hold the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game in the city of Indianapolis," said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. "We felt at this time it was important to identify a site for the first championship game and then spend more time with other cities and venues with respect to both our basketball tournaments and the football championship games in the future. The city of Indianapolis has been an outstanding host for our basketball tournaments, and we look forward to holding our first Big Ten Football Championship Game in Lucas Oil Stadium."

The 115th season of Big Ten football kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 2, as Indiana hosts Towson, Minnesota plays at Middle Tennessee State, and Ohio State welcomes Marshall. The conference's other eight teams open action on Saturday, Sept. 4.
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Well, there is one positive

Think about all the "Marqueis Gray Leads Gophers to Championship Game, Goes Home" stories they'll be able to write.
 

I just hope it doesn't become the permanent site like the basketball tourney. It would not be fun to have all the major conference events in the same city every year.
 


I want a Conference Title game that is OUTSIDE. This is the BIg Ten after all.
 

this will be

A game I attend EVERY year.
 

AhliBobwa said:
I want a Conference Title game that is OUTSIDE. This is the BIg Ten after all.
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It can be. Retractable roof. It will become the permanent spot because it's the best spot:

1) Centrally located;
2) New Stadium, large capacity;
3) Retractable roof.

Far better than:
Metrodome--old, old, old dome, small concourses, poor parking, far end of conference.
Ford Field--new dome, but far end of conference, pizza-pizza, Detroit, Detroit, Detroit.
Soldier Field--outdoors, snow, cold, snow, cold.
Lambeau--outdoors, snow, cold, poor transportation, not enough hotel rooms, Wisconsin.

The Big Ten will never risk a -10F blizzard on national TV. Bad for everything...exposure, recruiting, etc.
 

highwayman said:
It can be. Retractable roof. It will become the permanent spot because it's the best spot:

1) Centrally located;
2) New Stadium, large capacity;
3) Retractable roof.

Far better than:
Metrodome--old, old, old dome, small concourses, poor parking, far end of conference.
Ford Field--new dome, but far end of conference, pizza-pizza, Detroit, Detroit, Detroit.
Soldier Field--outdoors, snow, cold, snow, cold.
Lambeau--outdoors, snow, cold, poor transportation, not enough hotel rooms, Wisconsin.

The Big Ten will never risk a -10F blizzard on national TV. Bad for everything...exposure, recruiting, etc.
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I agree it will likely never be outside but would like to see a rotation atleast between Indy and Detroit and then Minneapolis if the Vikings get a new stadiumIf Indy becomes the permanent site for the football championship then they better start rotating the basketball tourney to include Chicago. Indy should not get it all every year. I also think that the city of Detroit could definitely use the economic boost of a game like this way more than Indy who seems to virtually always get a NCAA basketball regional or Final Four as well.
 



GopherGod said:
II also think that the city of Detroit could definitely use the economic boost of a game like this way more than Indy who seems to virtually always get a NCAA basketball regional or Final Four as well.
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The Big 10 is not the Welfare Office.
 

What I don't understand is announcing that they will hold the game in Indy, and then proceed to negotiations. Why not let the domed cities bid the game?
 

Swede said:
The Big 10 is not the Welfare Office.
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Thanks Captian Obvious but that wasn't the only reason that I listed why it should rotate and in fact didn't say that the conference should factor that into their decision making, it was just my opinion on a additional benefit of rotating it around by sharing the wealth a little more among the conference cities.
 

Swede said:
What I don't understand is announcing that they will hold the game in Indy, and then proceed to negotiations. Why not let the domed cities bid the game?
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I'm betting that the Big Ten and Lucus Oil Stadium have agreed in principal and are just working out the details. But for future games you are right, they should put the thing up to bid.
 



Swede said:
What I don't understand is announcing that they will hold the game in Indy, and then proceed to negotiations. Why not let the domed cities bid the game?
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Because the conference cashing in on this for goodwill and good press would be bad why? You don't make this the reason you pick a site like Detroit. But its an ancillary benefit for the city and for the conference if they play it right.
 

highwayman said:
Soldier Field--outdoors, snow, cold, snow, cold.
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Really centrally located, huge capacity. Sold.

Oh no, not cold for a Big Ten championship game. Why would we let something like that be associated with our conference?
 

GophBen said:
Really centrally located, huge capacity. Sold.

Oh no, not cold for a Big Ten championship game. Why would we let something like that be associated with our conference?
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It will never be outdoors. This is all about TV and image. The Big Ten already has enough trouble with its association with cold:

http://bigrednetwork.com/archives/2010/03/the_global_warming_of_college.html

This is a retractable roof stadium. It can be indoors or out. It's the perfect solution.

Also, this game could eventually move out another week or two as well. The Big Ten will certainly want to schedule around the other Championship games. Except the Big 12, they don't get one (insert Nelson Muntz "ha-ha")
 

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