I’d much rather watch Florida State play Boise State in Doak Campbell or on the Blue Turf, instead of an NFL stadium.
I’d much rather watch Oregon play Auburn in Eugene or at Jordan-Hare Stadium, instead of an NFL Stadium.
I refuse to believe I’m in the minority about this.
The neutral-site game in college football is not a new phenomenon. The Kickoff Classic at the old Giants Stadium started before I was born. Over the years, there have been different variations of a week one battle played in an NFL stadium. Once upon time, it was infrequent and felt special. Now? It’s overwhelming, overdone, and completely unnecessary.
As we look to the first week of college football’s 2019 season, it’s littered with awful matchups on college campuses and blockbusters in NFL stadium. Heck, some of the games in NFL stadiums aren’t that great either. Do we really need to see Alabama play Duke in an NFL stadium? Is there any reason why Indiana/Ball State should be played at Lucas Oil Stadium instead of a college campus?
The chasm is even greater when you look just a week later when Texas A&M visits Clemson and LSU visits Texas. Now that is what college football is about.
If you’re a Georgia fan, would you rather have Notre Dame show up to Athens this September, or head to Atlanta for a neutral-site game? I think the answer is rather obvious.
The problem is most shocking when you look at Alabama and its scheduling habits. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide haven’t played a non-conference road game since Penn State – in 2011! The next one currently on the schedule is a visit to Texas in 2022. When that game kicks off, Alabama will have played zero (0) non-conference road games in 11 years.
Of course, it doesn’t matter to Saban because Alabama is the best team in the country every year. They’ll make the playoff regardless of schedule. Still, it’s the precedent being set that is so significantly damaging to the sport, to the playoff and to the fans.
The Economic Impact to College Towns
Every time a college football game is played at a neutral site, it is usually accompanied by a ridiculous stat about “economic impact” to a certain city. These numbers are impossible to calculate but they make sense. If you have 20-40,000 people visiting for a weekend, they are likely to spend money in that city.
However, why is the economic impact to a city like Atlanta more important than the economic impact to a city like South Bend or Athens?
Sure, Notre Dame and other top programs sell out every home game and there is an economic impact every time they play at home. But every time they play a neutral site game, that’s a game where money is not flowing into the college city.
These universities are chasing easy money, as these neutral site organizers are throwing millions of dollars their way to make these games happen. Why can’t the sponsors throw money at games on campus?
If Auburn and Oregon want to make a bunch of money, they just must play! It doesn’t matter if they play in Eugene or JerryWorld, money will accompany those games. Instead of playing once, wouldn’t twice be so much better? Doesn’t the Georgia home schedule look better with Notre Dame coming to town? Wouldn’t the Oregon home schedule benefit from an Auburn visit, and vice versa?
The Negative Impact on the Playoff
The least appealing aspect of these neutral site games is how little they truly matter. Last year, Alabama destroyed Louisville in Orlando in the week 1 primetime game. Louisville ended up being one of the worst teams in the country.
A whole bunch of people paid a whole lot of money to watch Washington/Auburn last year and the ultimate impact of that game was, well, nothing. Auburn stunk and Washington didn’t sniff the playoff.
Most frustrating, even when both teams do live up to expectations, there’s little to no impact on their seasons, regardless of result. The loser may have a reduced margin of error, but that’s it.
That’s not the case, however, with true road games. In 2017, Oklahoma and Georgia played one of the greatest Rose Bowl games ever. Those two teams shared something else in common that year, as they both produced remarkable road victories over top teams. Oklahoma’s win at Ohio State and Georgia’s win at Notre Dame propelled them to the top of the rankings.
An even more dramatic example came the year prior, when Ohio State’s 2016 win over Oklahoma in Norman essentially clinched their playoff berth. Even though they didn’t even win their conference, the win over Oklahoma held up as arguably the best win by anybody. On the flip side, Oklahoma could’ve saved its entire season with a win, after the season opening loss to Houston. Instead, it was left with a tough home loss that it couldn’t escape.
The home-and-home series mean more. There is more risk. There is more passion. There is more of what makes college football my favorite sport on Earth. We already have more than enough neutral site games during bowl season.
Fans Must Spend Too Much
It’s not cheap being an Alabama fan. The team played four neutral-site games in 2018. Fans had to travel to see games in Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, and Santa Clara, California. The latter three neutral-site games were earned through winning the SEC and then playoff games. The former in Orlando was a money grab.
Still, most of Alabama’s trips were mere drives compared to Washington fans having to travel cross-country for a “neutral” opener versus Auburn. This year, Oregon fans must travel 2,000 miles for a “neutral” game versus Auburn this year.
For too long in too many sports, the most passionate and ardent fans bear the brunt of money-chasing executives. In the NFL, it’s expected because that’s a business. It should not be expected in college football, where the players are not even paid.
It’s ridiculous that fans are asked to spend so much of their money to follow their teams. Sure, there are plenty of fans with money willing to make those trips. That doesn’t make it right.
Beyond the spend, wouldn’t fans of these teams like to visit other college campuses? Do Auburn or Alabama fans really enjoy visiting an NFL city every Labor Day weekend? Wouldn’t they relish a trip to Eugene, Oregon? Or Ann Arbor, Michigan?
Georgia’s visit to Notre Dame in 2017 gave me all the evidence I needed. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Dawgs fans, and they showed out in a big way. I anticipate Notre Dame fans will view a trip between the hedges this September to be very similar.
There’s enough money being made by enough adults already. College football was meant to be played on college campuses. Let’s keep it that way, during every week of the regular season.
Follow me on Twitter
I refuse to believe I’m in the minority about this.
The neutral-site game in college football is not a new phenomenon. The Kickoff Classic at the old Giants Stadium started before I was born. Over the years, there have been different variations of a week one battle played in an NFL stadium. Once upon time, it was infrequent and felt special. Now? It’s overwhelming, overdone, and completely unnecessary.
As we look to the first week of college football’s 2019 season, it’s littered with awful matchups on college campuses and blockbusters in NFL stadium. Heck, some of the games in NFL stadiums aren’t that great either. Do we really need to see Alabama play Duke in an NFL stadium? Is there any reason why Indiana/Ball State should be played at Lucas Oil Stadium instead of a college campus?
The chasm is even greater when you look just a week later when Texas A&M visits Clemson and LSU visits Texas. Now that is what college football is about.
If you’re a Georgia fan, would you rather have Notre Dame show up to Athens this September, or head to Atlanta for a neutral-site game? I think the answer is rather obvious.
The problem is most shocking when you look at Alabama and its scheduling habits. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide haven’t played a non-conference road game since Penn State – in 2011! The next one currently on the schedule is a visit to Texas in 2022. When that game kicks off, Alabama will have played zero (0) non-conference road games in 11 years.
Of course, it doesn’t matter to Saban because Alabama is the best team in the country every year. They’ll make the playoff regardless of schedule. Still, it’s the precedent being set that is so significantly damaging to the sport, to the playoff and to the fans.
The Economic Impact to College Towns
Every time a college football game is played at a neutral site, it is usually accompanied by a ridiculous stat about “economic impact” to a certain city. These numbers are impossible to calculate but they make sense. If you have 20-40,000 people visiting for a weekend, they are likely to spend money in that city.
However, why is the economic impact to a city like Atlanta more important than the economic impact to a city like South Bend or Athens?
Sure, Notre Dame and other top programs sell out every home game and there is an economic impact every time they play at home. But every time they play a neutral site game, that’s a game where money is not flowing into the college city.
These universities are chasing easy money, as these neutral site organizers are throwing millions of dollars their way to make these games happen. Why can’t the sponsors throw money at games on campus?
If Auburn and Oregon want to make a bunch of money, they just must play! It doesn’t matter if they play in Eugene or JerryWorld, money will accompany those games. Instead of playing once, wouldn’t twice be so much better? Doesn’t the Georgia home schedule look better with Notre Dame coming to town? Wouldn’t the Oregon home schedule benefit from an Auburn visit, and vice versa?
The Negative Impact on the Playoff
The least appealing aspect of these neutral site games is how little they truly matter. Last year, Alabama destroyed Louisville in Orlando in the week 1 primetime game. Louisville ended up being one of the worst teams in the country.
A whole bunch of people paid a whole lot of money to watch Washington/Auburn last year and the ultimate impact of that game was, well, nothing. Auburn stunk and Washington didn’t sniff the playoff.
Most frustrating, even when both teams do live up to expectations, there’s little to no impact on their seasons, regardless of result. The loser may have a reduced margin of error, but that’s it.
That’s not the case, however, with true road games. In 2017, Oklahoma and Georgia played one of the greatest Rose Bowl games ever. Those two teams shared something else in common that year, as they both produced remarkable road victories over top teams. Oklahoma’s win at Ohio State and Georgia’s win at Notre Dame propelled them to the top of the rankings.
An even more dramatic example came the year prior, when Ohio State’s 2016 win over Oklahoma in Norman essentially clinched their playoff berth. Even though they didn’t even win their conference, the win over Oklahoma held up as arguably the best win by anybody. On the flip side, Oklahoma could’ve saved its entire season with a win, after the season opening loss to Houston. Instead, it was left with a tough home loss that it couldn’t escape.
The home-and-home series mean more. There is more risk. There is more passion. There is more of what makes college football my favorite sport on Earth. We already have more than enough neutral site games during bowl season.
Fans Must Spend Too Much
It’s not cheap being an Alabama fan. The team played four neutral-site games in 2018. Fans had to travel to see games in Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, and Santa Clara, California. The latter three neutral-site games were earned through winning the SEC and then playoff games. The former in Orlando was a money grab.
For too long in too many sports, the most passionate and ardent fans bear the brunt of money-chasing executives. In the NFL, it’s expected because that’s a business. It should not be expected in college football, where the players are not even paid.
It’s ridiculous that fans are asked to spend so much of their money to follow their teams. Sure, there are plenty of fans with money willing to make those trips. That doesn’t make it right.
Beyond the spend, wouldn’t fans of these teams like to visit other college campuses? Do Auburn or Alabama fans really enjoy visiting an NFL city every Labor Day weekend? Wouldn’t they relish a trip to Eugene, Oregon? Or Ann Arbor, Michigan?
Georgia’s visit to Notre Dame in 2017 gave me all the evidence I needed. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Dawgs fans, and they showed out in a big way. I anticipate Notre Dame fans will view a trip between the hedges this September to be very similar.
There’s enough money being made by enough adults already. College football was meant to be played on college campuses. Let’s keep it that way, during every week of the regular season.
Follow me on Twitter
I like the neutral site games when the teams are good, like AUburn/Oregon this year. But there needs to be like 2 or 3 of those games, not 10.
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