Bengals And OSU In Talks To Hold 2013 Spring Football Game At Paul Brown Stadium

The Ohio State University and the Cincinnati Bengals are in talks to host the 2013 OSU spring football game at Paul Brown Stadium, OSU officials announced this afternoon.

Ohio Stadium, otherwise known as "The Horseshoe", will be going through minor upgrades during that time, and OSU will need to play their popular spring football game in a stadium big enough to host the event.

Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith released a statement, but neither the Cincinnati Bengals or Hamilton County officials have commented on the matter.

"We are very appreciative to be in discussions with the Cincinnati Bengals," athletic director Gene Smith said. "We look forward to continuing our discussions and look forward to an opportunity to bring the Buckeyes into Cincinnati and closer to our Southern Ohio fans."

Paul Brown Stadium only holds a 65,535 seats, which makes it an interesting choice for OSU, especially when their own 2011 spring game was the nation's highest attended spring football game, with 81,112 fans ushering in the new Urban Meyer era.

Ohio State hasn't played a game in Cincinnati in ten years, when the Craig Krenzel and the Buckeyes made a late fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Bearcats 23-19 on September 22, 2002.

The idea of Buckeye spring football being played in Cincinnati opens up a can of worms in the recruiting world, as many University of Cincinnati Football fans probably aren't pleased to hear that the Buckeyes will be playing a game in their backyard. On the other hand, Cincinnati-based OSU fans will be delighted, and the downtown Cincy area (namely "The Banks") will receive a nice economic boost.