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In a dome or play at home? Ohio State AD weighs in on idea of Buckeyes hosting College Football Playoff game
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Some significant changes could be coming to the College Football Playoff in the future. While expansion conversations have hit a bit of a snag, there’s a general consensus that, at some point, more teams will be included in a revised format.
One of the proposed ideas was a 12-team bracket with each of the Top 4 teams receiving a first-round bye. Those first-round games, then, could be played at on-campus locations across the country for higher-seeded teams.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was asked for his thoughts on Ohio State potentially hosting a game in the College Football Playoff at some point in the future.
He doesn’t necessarily think that a game in The Horseshoe in December is the best idea.
Per Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors, Smith would actually recommend playing the game indoors — potentially at Lucas Oil Stadium or another location — rather than Ohio Stadium. He believes playing in a controlled climate would be the better option.
Gene Smith said that if Ohio State is selected to host a College Football Playoff game in the future, he would recommend playing indoors in Indianapolis rather than playing in Ohio Stadium. Thinks it would be better for the team not to have to play in bad weather.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 16, 2022
That’s a somewhat surprising take from a B1G athletic director. Not only does that surrender full home-field advantage for Ohio State, it would potentially keep warm-weather teams from having to play in a cold environment.
Then again, playing in the bitter cold may not be an advantage to anyone — especially teams that run a pass-heavy offense.
It was an interesting comment from a B1G athletic director. As much as fans in the Midwest would love to see those warm-weather programs make the trek north in the middle of winter, not all the decision-makers are necessarily in favor of it.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB