Thanks to Penn State Fan Talk who first broke the news

Athletic director Fred Glass has confirmed that Indiana will give up a home game against Penn State to play at FedEx Field field in Lanover, MD for $3 million bringing Penn State football back to Maryland for the first time since 1993.

Neutral site conference games is nothing new. Talks are already underway between Illinois and Northwestern to play a conference game at Wrigley Field. Most often than not, money is the biggest driving force behind a relocation of a conference game especially a home game and it definitely applies in this case as well.

Considering how Indiana makes less than $1 million a game at Memorial Stadium, the opportunity to make $3 million on the back of the heavy Penn State presence in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area makes this an amazing deal for them. Penn State reports that there are more than 40,000 Penn State alums just in the immediate region. FedEx Field is home to the Washington Redskins and countless Penn State alums which will make this a virtual home game for the Lions. With the largest seating capacity in pro sports in the country, FedEx field will provide 91,704 opportunities for Penn State fans that have been relocated to the Eastern seaboard to catch the Nittany Lions in action.

And think of all the advantages this will have on recruiting. Penn State, or Larry Johnson in particular already has a virtual stranglehold on the Virginia/DC/Maryland region. To be able to boast a “neutral site” game and have recruits see first hand all the tradition and pageantry of Penn State football while with their families, teammates and friends right in their own backyard is invaluable.

It seems as if Indiana has the exact same idea in mind.

But Glass is hopeful that East Coast Indiana fans will also show up in large numbers. As part of the deal, Indiana has to sell 7,000 tickets. Glass doesn’t think that will be a problem.

“You’ve got tens of thousands of IU grads in the area around D.C.,” Glass said. “It’s an area we want to recruit. And the players get the chance to play in a professional stadium.”

I’m not as optimistic as Glass on Indiana being able to sell out its allotment of 7,000, but there will be plenty of Lion fans willing to snatch them up seeing as FedEx field is only 3 and a half hours away from Beaver Stadium.

Initial reactions?