Yeah, didn’t see that one coming at all.
As the Big Ten held their annual spring meetings this past week, one of the topics up for discussion was the future home -- or homes -- of the conference football championship game. The inaugural title game, slated for December of this year, has already been awarded to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, but it’s still remains unclear which direction location-wise the league will go in the future.
There is one certainty, though: where the game won’t be held.
David Gilbert, president of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, tells the Plain Dealer that Cleveland was preparing a presentation to make to the Big Ten in the hopes of landing the title game, but was told two months ago to, basically, don’t even bother.
“We were very disappointed,” Gilbert told the paper. “Obviously, it’s their decision, but I think there were a number of other potentially very good cities, including Cleveland, that they dismissed without looking at it. I think that we could have been very good for them. But that’s their call, and we’ll stand ready when they’re ready to look at other cities.”
At least when it comes to the Big Ten’s current stance, the “other cities” include a whopping total of two: Indianapolis and Chicago. Those two cities were the only ones invited to the Big Ten’s meetings to make presentations.
And, Gilbert added, he was told those were the only two cities who would be under consideration for the next few years, which means Detroit and Lambeau Field would be off the list for the foreseeable future as well.
A final decision by the Big Ten between Indianapolis and Chicago could be made as early as next month.