LSU football is playing seven neutral-site games over the next nine seasons, a trend that will not "end any time soon," according to Ross Dellenger of the Baton Rouge ADVOCATE. LSU Deputy AD Verge Ausberry earlier this month said the football program plans to hold a season-opening game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the next "four to six years." He said that "nothing is finalized" but discussions are "ongoing." Ausberry: "We’d like to play a Power Five (team) in New Orleans -- the right opponent. We target four cities: New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston." He said that LSU "believes those four cities make up its 'footprint'" for athletic and university recruiting. Dellenger noted LSU will make a combined $23.75M on those seven neutral-site games, from a low of $2.1M (against Wisconsin in '16 at Lambeau Field) to what is "believed to be a school-record payout" of $4.75M for next year’s game against Miami at AT&T Stadium. That average is about $3.4M per game, "more than LSU makes in revenue from a home game." After next week, LSU will have "played more games against nonconference Power Five foes in Houston" since '14 than they have hosted in Tiger Stadium since '09 (two). LSU plays BYU at NRG Stadium to open the season Sept. 2. Five of LSU's seven neutral-site games between '10-18 "originated or will originate from Texas" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 8/23).
MICHIGAN MAN: In Detroit, Angelique Chengelis reports for Michigan football's season-opener against Florida at AT&T Stadium, each team is guaranteed $6M, which is "in the ballpark" of UM's gate for a home game. It is a "solid alternative for teams that want to play big-name teams and not lose money by playing at a team’s site." But that "doesn’t mean Michigan is looking for more of these games." UM AD Warde Manuel said, "I am not against, nor am I for. I’m sort of neutral to neutral-site games. It just depends on the place, the time, the opponent. ... I’m not going out and trying to lock up a bunch of neutral-site games." Manuel said he is "having conversations" with UM coach Jim Harbaugh "based on something that would come in that direction, but it’s not something I’m out seeking and wanting to plan" (DETROIT NEWS, 8/24).
IT'S BRISTOL, BABY: West Virginia AD Shane Lyons said he has "had some conversations with our potential interest" in playing a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway. Tennessee and Virginia Tech played there last year in front of more than 156,000, and Lyons added, "If it’s the right matchup in the right year, but again, we’re not going to look at that as an every-year deal. But if it works within our schedule and what we can do, with the right opponent, that may be something different for us.” DUBVNATION.com's Matt Albright noted WVU began its "recent run of neutral site games" in '13 against Maryland and in '14 against Alabama. Currently, there are "future games set" against Virginia Tech this season at FedExField, against Tennessee in at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium in '18 and against Flordia State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in '20 (DUBVNATION.com, 8/23).
BY THE MINUTE: In Boston, Stephen Hewitt noted while UMass AD Ryan Bamford wants most of the school's football games played on campus, he is "certainly open to playing games at Gillette Stadium" and Fenway Park, where UMass will play a game this season against Maine. UMass has played regularly at Gillette Stadium -- including a game against Mississippi State last year -- since making the jump to the FBS in '12. Bamford said, "To have the partnership with Gillette and Fenway, the Patriots and the Red Sox, is a real bonus for us, because it allows us to have a second and third option. ... So if you get a Mississippi State-like opponent, they were like, ‘Great, let’s play at Gillette. We’d love to play where the Patriots play. Let’s do that.’ Great, that’s an opportunity for us to get an SEC opponent as a home game for us. It gives us a little more opportunity to be creative with the schedule, honestly" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/23).
