An Alternate Plan For The Pac-12 Championship Game
November 30, 2012; Stanford, CA, USA; General view as Stanford Cardinal guard David Yankey (54) prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) at the line of scrimmage against the UCLA Bruins during the fourth quarter of the Pac-12 Championship game at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal defeated the Bruins 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Pac-12 Conference is in talks with Levi’s Stadium to host the annual Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Go Joe Bruin had responded to that by claiming that it does not favor the South Division of the Conference. It has also come out that a Seattle group wants CenturyLink Field to host the game. This would further amplify the disadvantage for the South Division if this came true.
Luckily, here at GJB, we offer a solution to the current proposition with Levi’s Stadium. Instead of having one stadium host the game every year, like the Big Ten and SEC conferences do, have it rotate every 2–4 years like the NCAA Final Four or the Super Bowl.
The Championship Game would rotate between the six regions of the the Pac-12 (using the Pac-12 Network as a template): Washington, Oregon, Bay Area, Los Angeles, Arizona and Mountain. In addition, the two schools in those regions, would be “hosts” to garner more total conference support.
The model could look something like this…
Pac-12 Championship Game Rotation Example:
Apr 29, 2013; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Aerial view of the construction of new Santa Clara Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Capacity: 68,500
Host Years: 2014, 2015
Host Schools: Cal, Stanford
Still under construction, but will be open for business before the fall of 2014. The jewel of the San Francisco 49ers could host the first rotation in Santa Clara, California. It is more of a suburb of San Jose than it is San Francisco, but would still be able to host the visiting North and South Division teams not too far from a commercial area.
January 1, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; General view of the Rose Bowl stadium as the Stanford Cardinal plays against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Capacity: 92,542
Host Years: 2016, 2017
Host Schools: UCLA, USC
Held in Pasadena, California, the Grandaddy of all bowl games would be a perfect host in the rotation. Pasadena has plenty of shopping, restaurants and lodging in the Old Town area, which has a shuttle to and from the stadium. Already a hit on New Year’s Day, Pasadena and the Rose Bowl could handle another event of this magnitude with ease.
Apr 26, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; General view of CenturyLink Field during the game between the Seattle Sounders FC and the Colorado Rapids at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Colorado 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Capacity: 67,000
Host Years: 2018, 2019
Host Schools: Washington, Washington State
The Seattle group pulling for the Pac-12 Championship Game to be in their city has a point. Their stadium is big, beautiful and loud. Just south of the Seattle downtown area, this Stadium would be a perfect host for the Washington region. It is brilliant choice, just a bit far for South Division teams to go every year.
Jan 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Fans wait to enter the stadium before the 2013 AFC championship playoff football game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO
Capacity: 76,125
Host Years: 2020, 2021
Host Schools: Colorado, Utah
Just like CenturyLink Field, Mile High is right next to a metropolitan area, this one being downtown Denver. Hosting the Championship Game would not be a big deal for the city to host for two years and it will finally get all those pacific teams over to the mountain side of the conference for once.
Apr, 27, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; A general view during the Oregon Ducks spring game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Capacity: 54,000
Host Years: 2022, 2023
Host Schools: Oregon, Oregon State
True, this will be on Duck land, but it is a premier facility in the Pac-12. Plus, the state of Oregon is limited on places to have the game. Autzen has already hosted the Pac-12 Championship Game, so there should be no issues pulling it off (unless it rains or hails).
Dec 8, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; An general view of University of Phoenix Stadium during the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. Arizona won 30-10. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Capacity: 63,400
Host Years: 2024, 2025
Host Schools: Arizona, Arizona State
This stadium has hosted the Fiesta Bowl, a BCS National Championship and the Super Bowl. The stadium was made for games like this. Just northwest of the downtown Phoenix area, this place is excellent for accommodating the likes of the Pac-12 Championship Game, especially for a potential 70-degree December football game.
Summary
What this model does, is not only take the Championship game to the six regions that the Pac-12 Networks cover, but allows these six areas an influx of business from the visiting teams, fans and media. Not only that, but it keeps the game fresh every two years. At the end of the rotation, the Pac-12 can either start over, or do the genius thing… get Las Vegas to build a monolith of a stadium for their own uses and those of the Pac-12.
It worked for the basketball tournament.
Mike W.R.
Twitter: @TheBigDisco