Big East Football: On-Campus Championship Game Is a Smarter Move Than NYC

Lost in all of the hullabaloo about the four-team playoff and Florida State to the Big 12, has been the Big East making serious decisions about the future of their conference.

The league has decided upon a playoff plan that they would like to see implemented and how they want their Conference Championship Game to work. On the four-team playoff side, the Big East, like the ACC, has backed preference to conference champions as well as using bowls for semifinals and neutral site championship games.

The most intriguing bit of conference news was the decision to play an on-campus championship game. From Kyle Veazey of The Commercial Appeal:

The league's ADs unanimously endorsed playing the Big East football Championship Game at on-campus sites. There had been thought of playing the game, which it hopes will begin in 2013, at a neutral site, perhaps New York City.

Nick Carparelli, the senior associate commissioner, acknowledged the idea that an on-campus site could help ensure a large crowd. He also said it would be a reward of sorts for winning the regular season.

Good for that conference, a truly wise move for the league that is looking to push their way up from the bottom. With the prospects of some increasing television revenue on the way, the transcontinental conference is making the smart play to avoid the allure of the Big Apple.

New York has been great to the conference when it comes to their basketball tournament. Madison Square Garden has become a sort of Mecca for Big East fans during that week in March. Teams battling it out, epic performances and all in the big city under the bright lights.

Wisely, the Big East recognized that what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Or in this case, the formula that works for basketball is not the same one that will work for football.

New York City is a basketball haven. The city loves the sport, from the Rucker to the Big East Tourney, to the Knicks and the soon to come Nets; New York City loves basketball.

Instead of ranting about New York City's lack of college football culture as the reason the Big East's decision to play the title game on-campus is smart, we'll look at the real reason; travel.

NYC is not centrally located for the conference anymore. Unless UConn, Rutgers and/or Temple are in the game against one another, the Big Apple is just not a "doable" destination. It would be akin to the ACC putting their title game in Florida, then having Virginia Tech and Boston College play for an empty stadium in a city that does not care about the game.

With on-campus venues, the conference is guaranteeing a salable product. Whether it is Papa John's Cardinal Stadium at 55,000, Bronco Stadium at 35,000 or Robertson Stadium at 32,000; the league will get butts into seats as folks show up to see their team play for a title.

No, the fans from Rutgers won't be making the flight to San Diego in droves if the Scarlet Knights take on the Aztecs; but the Aztec faithful will pack the stadium for a shot to see their team win a title.

This is a smart move by the Big East. The league has had some issues, but this is most certainly something the conference got right, especially given the coast-to-coast nature of the conference in its expansion. Hats off to the league, they got this move right.