Ohio should be the NFL’s bubble for the 2020 season
By Kyle Edmond
Southern Ohio Stadiums
Moving outside of Columbus, the first place to look would be in the southern part of Ohio that houses the Cincinnati Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium, as well as three Division I FBS stadiums, all within two hours of the hub city of Columbus.
The closest stadium to Columbus is actually home to a Mid-American Conference school, Peden Stadium that is the home of the Ohio Bobcats. At just over an hour outside of Columbus, about an hour and 20 minutes, Athens, Ohio could be the next stop added to the NFL bubble. Among the oldest stadiums in the country, this stadium deserves to host an NFL game and the grassy turf surface could withstand the wear of additional games each week.
Staying in the MAC and moving to the rival of the Bobcats, the Miami RedHawks’ Yager Stadium, shown above, could also be used. Around two hours from Columbus, Yager Stadium would provide another turf surface within a short distance from Columbus.
ESPN already televises most MAC games, so the functionality for TV should be set at both Yager and Peden.
The final two stadiums are the largest of the group, although that doesn’t matter without fans. Cincinnati, Ohio would be home to two possible locations.
The first would be Paul Brown Stadium where the Bengals play and the second, Nippert Stadium where the Cincinnati Bearcats play. Both are about an hour and 45 minutes from Columbus and are already fit for professional sports.