COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 24: The Ohio State Buckeyes take the field before their game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)Ohio Stadium in Columbus is the third-largest stadium by capacity in the United States and the fifth-largest in the world. It seems like it would be a great venue to host a College Football Playoff game.
But Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith doesn’t seem particularly thrilled by the idea. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Smith said he would actually recommend playing indoors at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium than in Ohio State.
Smith believes that it would be better to play the game indoors to avoid potentially playing in inclement weather. Outdoor temperatures in Ohio are usually in the 20s-30s in the month of January, but can drop much lower sometimes.
As you can imagine, Ohio State fans aren’t thrilled by Smith’s assertion here. Some are accusing Smith of making the Buckeyes too soft by not making them play in the cold:
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
“Lol. ‘We really think you should move your game 3 hours away, to a different state, to a stadium that seats 30k less people, so one of your biggest advantages is eliminated.’ Good luck with that proposal!” one fan replied.
“Lmao what a coward,” wrote another.
“Gene Smith is SOFT,” a third fan wrote.
Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated pointed out in a retweet that the ability to move games for inclement weather is a compromise being discussed in College Football Playoff expansion talks.
This was one of the compromise from CFP commissioners – that host schools in an expanded playoff would have the choice to play at home or play in a nearby indoor venue if weather was an issue.
Wrote about it a bit here when the 5+1 model emerged – https://t.co/Ok33FuObIg https://t.co/3lbxoUX4Ax
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 16, 2022
But clearly fans from the Big Ten want to be able to take on schools from the SEC in their own element.
If expansion happens and the Big Ten stadiums never hosts a College Football Playoff game, fans will be furious.
Will Ohio Stadium host a CFP game for Ohio State?
