The Green Bay Packers have formally expressed interest in hosting the Big Ten football championship game at Lambeau Field.
The Big Ten added Nebraska as its 12th member in June, which makes it eligible to hold a championship game. A decision on where to hold the game could reportedly come as soon as August, when Big Ten officials and athletic directors meet in Chicago. The first Big Ten championship will likely be held in 2011.
“We’d be very interested,” Murphy said. “The Big Ten has got such history and tradition, and to have a championship in Lambeau Field would be tremendous. It’d be good for our community and good for college football to have it in such a historic venue.”
Chicago’s Soldier Field, Detroit’s Ford Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium are also in the mix as potential hosts for the game.
Unlike the Super Bowl, which the Packers expressed interest in hosting after New York was awarded the 2014 game, hosting the Big Ten championship game wouldn’t overwhelm the local infrastructure, which makes it a very real possibility.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is the weather. The game will be held in December, and while Big Ten teams are used to playing in the cold, the conference seems to be leaning towards an indoor venue, which gives Indianapolis and Detroit an advantage.
The last time a college football game was played in Lambeau Field was 1983, when St. Norbert hosted Fordham.
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