Not Much Nippert for Cincinnati
It is not uncommon for a team to play a “home” game at a nearby site. It can be a good way to get the extended fan base a chance to see a game or maybe the regular stadium just is not big enough to hold the expected amount of people. There is also the issue of bigger named teams not wanting to play on campus. A few of those issues were relevant when Cincinnati hosted Oklahoma at nearby Paul Brown Stadium.
Apparently the brass at Cincinnati was very happy with the way the game turned out. Well it turned out in a loss, but it probably made some money. Instead of playing a big name non-conference opponent at Paul Brown Stadium this year, the Bearcats are playing two conference opponents away from Nippert Stadium. This is not like Texas and Oklahoma playing in Dallas or Florida and Georgia playing in Jacksonville. Those are traditional games that are neutral for both teams. This is not even like Northwestern using a home game to play one game at Wrigley Field. That was a one-time thing and pretty cool and unique. Illinois taking on the Wildcats in Wrigley…that was neat for anybody who has ever been to the state of Illinois.
Cincinnati playing football against West Virginia in some other football stadium? That just seems like it should be on campus. The Bearcats will go from September 22nd to December 3rd without playing a game on their home field. Students who do not feel like making the trip downtown to Paul Brown Stadium get to see Austin Peay, Akron and North Carolina State in non-conference games. After that they have to wait until December 3rd when the Bearcats host their only conference opponent, Connecticut, at Nippert Stadium.
The athletic department expects more than 35,000 people to show up for the Louisville and West Virginia games. In the case of Louisville, those extra fans are going to be from Louisville. They also site the NFL-quality amenities as a plus. Brian Kelly wanted those amenities at Nippert Stadium and the Bearcats are not an NFL team anyway. If you have a halfway decent stadium on campus, which Nippert Stadium is, you should you use it. Sure it’s not the nicest collegiate stadium, but Cincinnati does not need a huge place. If you want to play a game at Paul Brown Stadium, do it against a non-conference opponent, do it once a year and don’t screw up your conference schedule.
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