Less than hours from the NFL Playoffs getting underway, one of the games on Super Wild Card Weekend with a Penn State connection could be forced to move.
The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Buffalo, and the weather forecast calls for heavy snow and wind gusts that could exceed 65 miles per hour. Friday, a report emerged suggesting that because of Buffalo owner Terry Pegula’s ties to PSU, that the NFL could move Bills-Steelers to Beaver Stadium.
Hearing the Pegula’s could move the game to Beaver Stadium https://t.co/AjrH0MdJ2E
— Matty Fresh (@MattyFreshTV) January 12, 2024
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For those who don’t know, the owners of the Bills who also own the Buffalso Sabres, are Penn State Alum and they have their name on the Penn State Hockey arena called “Pegula Ice Arena.”
There are several questions that make the NFL staging a playoff game in State College this weekend seem unlikely.
Why not Syracuse?
If the NFL is forced to move the game out of Buffalo, Syracuse would be a natural venue to host the game. The JMA Wireless Dome (formerly Carrier Dome) would shield the game from the elements. But, JMA Wireless only has a capacity of 49,057 compared to New Era Stadium’s 71,608 in Buffalo.
However, Beaver Stadium’s 107,000 capacity might be alluring to the NFL given Buffalo’s exuberant fanbase and proximity to Pittsburgh.
The NFL should have made this call a couple of days ago, the TV Crews already have the cameras setup.
Given that the game is scheduled to take place in less than two days, it would be a Herculean lift for the CBS crew to transport all of the camera equipment for the broadcast and get set up in time in State College prior to kickoff.
Other options are move it to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia or MetLife Stadium in New York
The NFL has in the past been forced to relocate games for various reasons, including weather, but typically change venues into another NFL stadium with an open date.
Because the New York Giants and New York Jets missed the playoffs, and the Philadelphia Eagles are set to be on the road on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia are both open.
Moving the game to Philadelphia or North Jersey would make the most sense from a logistics standpoint both for the league and for CBS.
If the NFL were move the game to State College, this would give Beaver Stadium another opportunity to showcase it can handle cold in Late December/January weather. This will play a role in the near future, especially with the new expanded College Football Playoff starting in 2024 season. However, it might not even be a possibility, because there has been no confirmation that Beaver Stadium has been fully winterized, as of January 2024, to even host an event this time of year.
MORE: Ranking the Best Beaver Stadium Tailgate Lots
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