Can College Football Save The Dome at America's Center?

The Dome at America’s Center appears to have a shaky future. Pro Football Talk writer Mike Florio reported that both St. Louis County and the state of Missouri have halted funding for the venue. To make matters worse, the venue needs over $155 million in repairs. Florio also points out a lack of events as an issue for the venue, with only three events scheduled between the UFL Championship Game and December. From afar, one may wonder why the venue did not aggressively pursue college football since the Rams left for Los Angeles.

The 2023 Missouri-Memphis game was the first college football game at the venue since the 2010 Gateway Classic between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Clark Atlanta. The game would not have been played in St. Louis if not for Missouri’s reluctance to play Memphis at Memphis. Memphis received a $1 million payment to relocate the game from Memphis to St. Louis after refusing to accept $250,000 to cancel the game.

The venue tried to host HBCU Classics in 2019 and 2022, but both attempts were ill-fated. With few other options, the venue must get creative in bringing college football to the venue.

North Dakota State-Southern Illinois Game

One easy solution, and arguably the most lucrative, would be to move a Southern Illinois home game against North Dakota State to The Dome at America’s Center. Southern Illinois is two hours away from St. Louis, and North Dakota State enjoys playing in high-profile venues. In 2019, the Bison played at the home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field. In 2023, they played Eastern Washington at US Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. This year, the Bison will play the home of the Tennessee Titans against Tennessee State. The Bison traveled well to their pair of Minneapolis games, with 34,544 attending the Target Field game in 2019 and 22,546 attending the US Bank Stadium game four years later.

Bison fans would likely welcome a new environment in a different NFL stadium, even if it no longer hosts a team. Southern Illinois fans would also enjoy a game in St. Louis. The last time the program played in St. Louis was in 2013 at Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals. However, this would be a one-time event as the charm would wear off for Southern Illinois fans losing a home game.

The Game Ball Brawl

One of the few bright spots of conference realignment is the creation of new regional rivalries. One such rivalry at the FCS level is Lindenwood-Southeast Missouri State. The two schools have only met twice but seem dedicated to making the game a centerpiece of their schedules, creating a trophy and a name with a sponsorship attached.

Luckily for St. Louis, the rivalry is still young enough to start a new tradition. Southeast Missouri State and Lindenwood could catch the attention of the St. Louis sports scene. Both schools are within two hours of the Gateway City, with Lindenwood located less than 30 minutes away. A move to a neutral site could boost attendance and interest in the rivalry. After Missouri State moves to Conference USA, it will be the only in-state rivalry in Missouri at the Division I level. A move to St. Louis is feasible since guarantee rates for FCS neutral site games are low. For instance, UC Davis received a $25,000 guarantee to play in the 2025 FCS Kickoff.

HBCU Classic Featuring Lincoln (MO)

The third time is the charm, right? St. Louis can once again try to host an HBCU Classic, this time with Lincoln (MO) as the centerpiece. Lincoln, with its 2-54 record since 2019 and 2024 average home attendance of 1,399, is the farthest thing from an HBCU brand name, but it is better than nothing for the Dome at America’s Center. The Lincoln campus is two hours from The Dome at America’s Center. Furthermore, Lincoln (MO)'s low attendance at 5,500-seat Dwight T. Reed Stadium gives the Dome a low buyout price for a Lincoln (MO) home game.

Despite their struggles on the field, Lincoln (MO) could be a solid draw for an HBCU Classic in St. Louis. The Blue Tigers have not played in an NFL stadium since 2014 in the Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium. The Tigers drew respectable crowds in their two appearances at the home of the Chiefs. Their game against Grambling in 2013 drew 20,176 fans. The following year drew 8,076 fans against relatively lesser-known Langston.

The Dome at America’s Center needs creative solutions. Lincoln (MO) provides some answers. The Blue Tigers could hold “The Battle of the Real Lincoln” against either Lincoln (PA) or Lincoln (CA), two fanbases that rarely play in neutral site games or HBCU classics.

Unfortunately, The Dome at America’s Center may be reluctant to do business with Lincoln after they had to cancel their 2019 game at the venue against Kentucky State due to insufficient ticket sales.

Washington University-St. Louis

Washington, the school in St. Louis, and not the one in Seattle, is also an easy target for a game at the Dome in America’s Center. Their campus is 13 minutes from the Dome, creating minuscule travel costs to cover, if any. Washington averaged 1213 fans per game in 2024, but like Lincoln (MO), they represent an improvement from the current situation. Washington could play its back-to-back Division III champion and conference rival, North Central, at The Dome. The venue could also attract other Division III powers in non-conference games.