With the recent news that the BCS will have a four-team playoff beginning in 2014-15, talks immediately began to swirl, at least in Indianapolis, about whether they would host college football’s title game.
Initially, Indy officials were very interested and planned to submit a bid However, priorities have now changed and Indiana Sports Corporation President Susan Williams said not to count on it coming anytime soon.
“It is highly unlikely that Indianapolis will pursue the BCS national championship in the near future,” Williams noted at Lucas Oil Stadium as city officials announced the cities’ plans to bid on Super Bowl LII (52) in 2018. “And I underline, near future.”
The city is one of the best at putting on big time events, so why pass when it comes to the BCS Championship? I suppose they don’t want to pick up more than they can carry. The resources and attention a high-level event of this magnitude requires limits the number of sporting events they can take on. Each event that is put on in Indianapolis is taken to a new standard, like Super Bowl XLVI and the first-annual Big Ten Football Championship Game this year.
Indy is already scheduled to host the first four years of the Big Ten title game thru 2015, and the Big Ten basketball tournament in 2014 and 2016. Indiana Sports Corp, the group that helps put on these great events, is also pushing to host an Olympic trials event in 2016 prior to the next Olympic games. And who knows what else. (Williams teased that another big announcement is coming soon.)
As much as Indianapolis would like to get into a four-year rotation, or something like it, this game may stay south in places like Dallas, Tex., Glendale, Ariz., New Orleans, LA. and Miami, Fla.
In the next four years and beyond, I expect the BCS playoffs to expand and the number of games to increase. At that time, Indy may come into play.