Big Ten Football: Three Stadiums Looking to Host Playoff Games

How close are we to a four-team playoff in college football? So close that the biggest question now isn't whether the games will take place, but where.

With bowl games almost exclusively held outside the Big Ten footprint (lone exception: the Little Caesar's Bowl in Detroit, which, come on), there's a sense that the Big Ten would like some games to be held a little closer to home.

With that in mind, three stadiums have told ESPN.com they'd be interested in hosting playoff games. Here's a look at all three:

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

Positives: Hosted the inaugural Big Ten Championship last December and did a good job of it, all things considered. Central location in the Big Ten footprint is ideal; seven of 12 conference teams are in same or adjoining state. Also hosted Super Bowl last season.

Negatives: Indianapolis isn't a spectacular city for tourism, though it's at least more car-friendly than most bigger cities. Current affiliation with Big Ten may cause concern from other conferences, who might regard it as an automatic "home game" for potential Big Ten team, though the Rose Bowl has managed to escape "unfair" label for entire last century despite similar situation. 

Ford Field, Detroit

Positives: Massive upgrade from the Pontiac Silverdome. State of the art facility. Detroit airport serves as Delta Hub and can easily accommodate incoming fans. Convenient location in downtown Detroit. Hosted Super Bowl in 2006.

Negatives: It's. in. Detroit.

Edward James Dome, St. Louis

Positives: Like the other two stadiums, domed so inclement weather won't be a factor. Far enough south that weather should be relatively decent even in late December, which makes destination more attractive. Located in the middle of town, right next to the Mississippi River.

Negative: 16 years old, and the A/V experience inside the stadium isn't great. Not only is it out of the Big Ten footprint, it's far enough away that only Iowa and Illinois fans could plausibly drive there. That might make it more palatable for other conferences as a compromise of sorts, but it's still inconvenient for most B1G fans. 

Conclusion

Well, there's certainly a "type" here: NFL stadium, domed, relatively new at worst, and in downtown of a major city. The logistical issues with hosting a college football playoff game, then, are going to be pretty similar across the board.

It's also worth pointing out that the neutral site semifinal playoff game idea hasn't even been formally proposed, so all of this might be rendered moot if the BCS decides to, say, go with home games for the semifinals and a rotation of the BCS bowls for the championship game.

That all said, I've seen Lucas Oil Stadium as a destination for a one-off postseason football game since it hosted the Big Ten Championship last year, and it was an eminently enjoyable experience. It's honestly a shame the place doesn't already host a bowl game. Being a college football playoff destination would, I'm sure, be just as fine to Indianapolis.