Cold doesn't concern Stoops in fourth trip to Arrowhead Stadium

By Michael Kinney

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In Atlanta this afternoon, thousands of football fans will pile into the Georgia Dome to watch the SEC Championship tilt between Florida and Alabama. The same scene will play itself out at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida with the ACC Championship pitting Virginia Tech versus Boston College.

In all, three major conferences with ties to the Bowl Championship series will settle their championship today in nationally televised games. Of the three, the exception not playing in a dome stadium or warm weather city is tonight's Big 12 Conference Championship between No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 20 Missouri. They will decide their conferences' best team in the frigid confines of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which took a beating under the snow and cold weather last week.

"It's not a concern because we're playing on the same field as Missouri," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "So in the end you deal with it. So doesn't much matter, does it, for us. I don't look at it that way because they're going to be playing on the same field. So we'll just see how it is. I've heard they've done a lot of work on it this week, so we're optimistic it will be whatever you need it to be."

But, this could be the last time the game is played in the 73,000 seat stadium.

As of now, the Big 12 is the only major conference that rotates its championship game. This has allowed cities from both the North and South Division to have some sort of home field advantage.

However, since the first year of the Big 12 conference in 1996, no stadium has been home to more title games than Arrowhead. It has hosted five times compared to three by Houston and two each in St. Louis and San Antonio.

In 2001, Texas Stadium in Irving hosted the championship for its one and only time. But the game must have made a mark on Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, because one of the first events he landed for his new Cowboys Stadium was the Big 12 Championship game. Starting in 2009, Dallas will play host for two consecutive years. But if Jones has his way, it will only be the start of a long run.

Today will be Stoops' seventh overall appearance in the title game and fourth at Arrowhead. He is not opposed to making one stadium the permanent site.

"We've had some exciting and great games here. And atmospheres here," Stoops said. "So the only thing, again, anything that I brought up is they can't control the weather, and that isn't their fault. So that's my only concern with ever being here."

Stoops' teams have had success playing in every environment. His only concerns are with the conference in general.

"I'm in favor of whatever our commissioner and presidents, athletic directors feel is best for the league," Stoops said. "If it's best for the league to continue to travel around, I'm good with it. If they feel it's better to have a location that everyone can point to every year, I'm good with it that way, too. Whatever is best for the league and everyone else, I'll hopefully bring our team and go compete."

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, whose Tigers also played in the game last year in Houston, seems to believe the Big 12 is headed toward keeping it at the same site every year, like other conference championships.

"At our Big 12 coaches meetings that we had in Colorado Springs in May, we talked about that last year and that came up," Pinkel said. "And I think they all go back to the Southeastern Conference a little bit in terms of one location. It's kind of the place that you've got to go to, it's a dome. That was brought up by several coaches."

Yet, if it were up solely to Pinkel, he knows where he wants to keep the game.

"I think we'll definitely revisit it and kind of find out what we think is best, not for any particular school, the North or South, but what would be best for the Big 12," Pinkel said. "We'll certainly have input as coaches, but the AD's and presidents will make that decision. Why would you not want it in Kansas City? I live in Missouri, so, from my standpoint, you know, but they're not going to ask me specifically. It's going to be, obviously, what's best for the league."