INDIANAPOLIS — Glenn and Elizabeth Pluhar, avid Michigan fans, are retired and have some free time. It’s time to watch the Wolverines win the Big Ten for the third time in a row.
Elizabeth Pluhar remarked, “We’ll always try to make it here when Michigan is here.”
Indianapolis is four hours away by car from where the Pluhars reside, which is a few hours north of Ann Arbor. Although they were unable to attend the championship game prior to this year, Indianapolis has so far surpassed expectations.
“The city’s cleanliness astounds me,” Glenn Pluhar remarked. Although we didn’t have the luxury of taking our time because we drove in, it seems like there is a lot to do.
Since its establishment in 2011, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis has served as the host of the Big Ten Championship Game. However, the Big Ten announced that it will take bids from a range of cities, including those on the West Coast, given that UCLA, USC, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon will be joining the conference the following year.
More: The Big Ten football championship game might not be what transpires in Vegas.
IndyStar spoke with supporters of Michigan and Iowa outside the stadium prior to Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game between the two teams.
One thing unites the two fan bases: they oppose moving the Big Ten Championship Game to the West Coast, whether it be to Southern California, Las Vegas, or any other location.
Michigan supporter Jake Castle remarked, “Indy has a good reputation of putting on a good show for events.” “It’s a good, neutral site, too.”
One of the key things that Castle liked about Indianapolis as a host was its proximity: whichever current Big Ten team wins the championship, he claimed, it will take place in the same region of the nation.
Another fan of Iowa who now resides in Missouri, Dave Rozendaal, enjoys the close proximity. Rozendaal lives in Indianapolis, which is approximately seven hours away from Iowa City.
“The drive here is really easy,” Rozendaal remarked. “That’s a great venue with lots of space to spread out.”
Joe Feliz, a Michigan supporter, believes there is no competitive advantage for the West Coast teams traveling to the East Coast for the Big Ten Championship Game.
Feliz remarked, “I think their chances of making it to the Big Ten championship game are pretty even.” “They wouldn’t think that having it here would be a big enough advantage for one of the original Big Ten teams, and they would have already had to beat teams on the east coast.”
Furthermore, Rozendaal believes those teams need to establish themselves before the game is brought to the West Coast.
“I’m sure that’s what’s helping make that decision because I know that they’re bringing those schools from the West Coast,” Rozendaal remarked. “I believe that the Midwest should be their first stop if they plan to attend the Big Ten.
“Let them grow and gain admission to the conference first; if they do well after several years of employment here, then fine.”