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Neutral-Site Games Continue To Be Hot Trend For CFB Schedule Makers

The number of neutral-site games during the opening weekend of the college football schedule continues to grow, and Chick-fil-A Bowl President & CEO Gary Stokan "envisions a future with many bowl cities staging a kickoff game and teams wanting to participate due to the strength of schedule factor for reaching the College Football Playoff," according to Jon Solomon of CBSSPORTS.com. Stokan since '08 has presided over such a season opener at the Georgia Dome, and the stadium will host two games this weekend -- Boise State-Ole Miss tonight and Alabama-West Virginia on Saturday. Meanwhile, Florida State will begin the defense of its national title against Oklahoma State in Arlington's AT&T Stadium, while LSU and Wisconsin will play at Houston's NRG Stadium. In addition to those three locales, "numerous bowl cities are exploring more neutral-site opportunities, including Jacksonville, Orlando, Nashville and Charlotte." Gator Bowl Sports President & CEO Rick Catlett said, "You'll see a lot more of these one-off games happening. The biggest issue is with the networks. It's easy for ESPN to control the kickoff games. But other regular-season games are a totally different story." Solomon noted neutral-site games allow teams to "annually play seven home games, plus get a sizable neutral-site payout without losing that money another year as part of a home-and-home series." Alabama has become the "poster child of this approach," as it has played a neutral-site game in "six of eight seasons under coach Nick Saban." Alabama gets a $3.2M payout for playing WVU this year, $4M payout for facing Wisconsin in Arlington in '15, and a "yet-to-be disclosed amount for playing USC in Arlington" in '16. Those payouts "allow Alabama to give up a home game before 100,000-plus fans." Stokan calls neutral-site games a "win for fans because they're getting high-quality matchups they likely wouldn't get on campus" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/27).

NEUTRAL-SITE MATCHUPS DURING '14 SEASON
MATCHUP LOCATION
Boise State-Ole Miss Atlanta
Colorado-Colorado State Denver
Navy-Ohio State Baltimore
Alabama-West Virginia Atlanta
Florida State-Oklahoma State Arlington, Texas
LSU-Wisconsin Houston
Washington State-Rutgers Seattle
Penn State-UCF Dublin, Ireland
Oregon-Cal Santa Clara, Calif.
Texas-UCLA Arlington, Texas
Arkansas-Texas A&M Arlington, Texas
Notre Dame-Syracuse East Rutherford, N.J.
Oklahoma-Texas Dallas
Notre Dame-Purdue Indianapolis
Florida-Georgia Jacksonville
Navy-Notre Dame Landover, Md.
Army-UConn N.Y.
Baylor-Texas Tech Arlington, Texas
Army-Navy Baltimore

BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN: In Oklahoma City, Berry Tramel examined the pros and cons of neutral-site games and noted it is "easier to book a one-game showdown on a neutral field than to find acceptable years for a home-and-home series." OSU got $2.1M for its game in Houston last season against Mississippi State and will get $3.5M "for its game Saturday against Florida State." The team averages $5M per home game at Boone Pickens Stadium, but when it is "part of a home-and-home series, that really breaks down" to $2.5M. However, Tramel noted neutral-site games can impact season-ticket sales. Tramel: "How much better to have a marquee game coming to campus. Florida State in Stillwater, for example." Most neutral-site games "are similar to bowls in that they don’t have near the atmosphere of a campus game" and many "are not sold out" (OKLAHOMAN, 8/25).

ALL EYES ON ATLANTA: In Atlanta, Tim Tucker noted the two Georgia Dome games will bring "about 100,000 fans to a downtown district already energized about the sport after the weekend opening" of the College Football HOF. Stokan said, "We talk about Atlanta as the college football capital, and I think this week will certainly emphasize the reason we feel that way." The HOF expects the two games "to be good for business, given the new attraction’s close proximity to the Dome." Alabama-WVU "is expected to fill the Dome with about 70,000 fans," though BSU-Ole Miss likely will fill "no more than half of the Dome." Stokan said that upper-deck seats "won’t be used" for tonight's game. Meanwhile, College Football HOF President & CEO John Stephenson said that ESPN also "has made plans to broadcast its 'College Football Live' studio show Thursday afternoon from the indoor field at the Hall of Fame" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 8/25).

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