College football should ban all neutral-site games

LSU and Florida State agreed to a two-game series on a neutral-site, but it’d be a lot cooler if the games were played on campus. Ban neutral-site games!

The good news is LSU and Florida State will play each other in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, giving fans a matchup of two heavyweight programs. The bad news is both games are at neutral sites and fans will be deprived of the on-campus experience in Death Valley and Doak Campbell Stadium.

LSU and Florida State will open the season against each other with the first game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in New Orleans on Sunday, Sept. 4 in 2022 and the 2023 game is at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Sunday, Sept. 3.

“We are so excited to bring yet another thrilling kickoff game to Orlando, and we look forward to hosting college football fans from around the globe for this incredible matchup,” Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan said of the 2023 game. “Events like these have a profound impact on the Central Florida community, and we can’t wait to show the student-athletes, coaches, families and supporters of our longstanding partners in Tallahassee and Baton Rouge what makes Orlando one of the country’s top neutral-site destinations.”

This is all great and nice to see two programs schedule each other to give fans some exciting matchups to kick off the seasons. But I can’t help but think how much better these games would be if they were true home-and-home meetings.

Tiger Stadium might be the best place to watch a game in college football. Death Valley is also the best place to experience everything before and after the games. LSU has the best tailgating in the nation and just like LSU’s march to the national title, no one came relatively close to knocking them off.

Doak Campbell might not have the same reputation as LSU when it comes to tailgating and stadium noise but it’s undeniably a tradition-rich venue with a passionate group of fans who make the environment a special one.

While each neutral-site venue is nice in its own right and the fans should have a pleasant time there, it can’t compare to the campus experience. And isn’t that what college is all about?!

I understand the neutral-site games have to be a part of the process for conference championships, bowl games and the College Football Playoff, but it needs to be banned for non-conference regular-season games.

The fans deserve to experience the best college atmospheres and towns around the country. It’s a disservice to have these marquee games played in corporate stadiums devoid of the on-campus vibe that is palpable on Saturdays in the fall.

While I could complain about this all day, the coaches for both teams aren’t bemoaning the fact they won’t get to play these games in their building.

“Our team looks forward to playing Florida State to open the 2022 and 2023 seasons,” LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said in a statement. “To play a traditional power like Florida State is a challenge that excites our team. Playing in New Orleans and Orlando is a great opportunity for us to showcase to recruits the LSU program. We look forward to playing anyone, anywhere at any time.”

“I’m excited about this series,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. “Florida State has a rich tradition in Louisiana, the home of many former Seminoles including Warrick Dunn and Travis Minor, and all three of our national championship teams had at least one player from Louisiana. It continues to be an important area for us now. We added two players from Louisiana in our first signing class, and it will be great for them and other future Noles to be able to play back in their home state. This series matches two of the iconic brands in college football, and I know our fans will have a great time in New Orleans and Orlando. I want to thank our administration for all their hard work on this and for continuing to pursue first-class experiences for our student-athletes.”

Florida State leads the all-time series with LSU 7-2 and will take a four-game winning streak into their game in 2022.

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