In the aftermath of Nebraska’s addition to the Big Ten, it’s been widely assumed that there would be a conference title game and said game would be played at a Midwest site with a domed stadium -- Detroit’s Ford Field and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium being the two most mentioned.
In recent days, a pair of open-air Midwest venues -- Chicago’s Soldier Field and Cleveland’s Browns Stadium -- have made it clear that they’d like consideration as well.
Now, the patron saint of all outdoor football facilities has let it be known that she’s tossing her historic hat into the Big Ten mix.
Both the Appleton Post-Crescent and ESPN.com‘s Big Ten blog reported Thursday that Lambeau Field officials have made it clear that they would like to host the conference championship game, the first of which would likely be contested Dec. 3 of 2011.
“The Big Ten has got such history and tradition, and to have a championship in Lambeau Field would be tremendous,” Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy told ESPN.com. “It’d be good for our community and good for college football to have it in such a historic venue.”
Like his counterparts from Soldier Field and Browns Stadium, Murphy dismisses the concerns of playing a title game in early December weather in an open-air stadium.
“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.”
I must say this: a Big Ten title game at freaking Lambeau Field would be off the hook, chain or whatever it is that kids these days call something completely and totally awesome.
Somebody, anybody, needs to make this happen. If not as a permanent site, then on a rotational basis with a couple other -- preferably outdoor -- venues.
Sure, there would be concerns -- as one emailer pointed out -- over hotel space for the 73,000 or so fans who would cram into the stadium for the game, but that and any other concern is trumped by the following simple equation.
Lambeau + Big Ten title game + December = Epic
Again, this needs to happen. Somebody start a Facebook page or something to keep the ball rolling.