This puts it over the top for me. I’ve been on the fence about the whole thing, but the truth is that Indy is the natural place to play the Big 10 Championship game in football. Detroit is the only other viable option, and I have to think Indy is more attractive. If it’s good for the city (and helps offset more of the cost of the Luke), then I’m for it.
Strong support for playing the championship in Indy already exists. “I’m going to be a big advocate for having the game at Lucas Oil,” IU athletic director Fred Glass said. “I don’t think there is really any other choice.”
Indianapolis, which has a history of hosting major sporting events and a strong relationship with the Big Ten, would be a leading candidate to host a title game. The city is centrally located, and Lucas Oil Stadium is one of only three enclosed football venues in a Big Ten state; the others are Ford Field in Detroit and Mall of America Field in Minneapolis.
Lucas Oil Stadium also hosted the 2010 Final Four, an event that comes here every five years. The Big Ten men’s basketball tournament has two years remaining on a five-year deal to be played at Conseco Fieldhouse.
“When you talk about the passion of Big Ten fans, whether basketball or football, they come to town in big numbers,” Dedman said. “It would give us another nationally televised event, which is a key in branding your city.”
A Big Ten championship game would bring an estimated $6 million to $10 million in spending
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