Ohio State Football: Taking the Spring Game to Cincinnati Would Be a Smart Move

Back in April, we took a look at something teams like Arizona, Miami and North Carolina were doing with spring scrimmages—moving them off-campus to showcase their team to fans in a more convenient setting.

Now, it seems Ohio State, one of the juggernauts of college football, may be in the process of deciding to do the same. As Yahoo!'s Dr. Saturday reports, the Buckeyes are entertaining the idea of playing their 2013 spring game two hours away in Cincinnati:

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With renovations planned for Ohio Stadium after the conclusion of the 2012 season, Ohio State announced that it is looking to move its 2013 spring football game to Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

"We are very appreciative to be in discussions with the Cincinnati Bengals," Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said in a release. "We look forward to continuing our discussions and look forward to an opportunity to bring the Buckeyes into Cincinnati and closer to our Southern Ohio fans."

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Sure, it might be due to renovations, and yes, Paul Brown Stadium would eliminate the Buckeyes' ability to break their spring attendance record set in 2009. But it would get the Ohio State football program into Cincinnati for an afternoon in a big way. That's a big deal, especially for a head coach and staff that are looking to expand their recruiting imprint by getting cozy in Cincinnati.

Currently, the Buckeyes have three players on their roster from Cincinnati proper, and with the rich high school football tradition throughout Ohio, getting deeper into Cincinnati is a positive step.

As Buckeye assistant and former University of Cincinnati assistant Kerry Coombs made clear to the Columbus Dispatch, the Buckeyes are going to break into Cincinnati, big time.

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“Absolutely, it’s going to change,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to change. I know it’s going to change. I know those coaches. Those coaches run great programs. They want the very best for their kids. It is our job to present to them that what we have for them here is the No. 1 option for them athletically and academically.”

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That's big talk, and moving the spring game would be a grand gesture to the high school community of the greater Cincinnati area. Moving the game would be a supplement to the Buckeyes' already improved efforts to draw kids from the city, and it would make the game even more accessible to prospects.

With the stadium undergoing renovation for the spring, it will be a strong power play by the Buckeyes to hit the road for Cincinnati. Certainly Meyer's coaches will be recruiting the area hard—by moving the game, their rhetoric about the importance of Cincinnati in their grand plan will resonate in a strong way.