There is some good news and bad news to report for NCAA football fans in the Cleveland area regarding the future of the Patriot Bowl. Next season, the Patriot Bowl will go on a hiatus meaning their will be no contest at Cleveland Browns Stadium like we have had for the past 3 seasons. In those games, MAC teams such as Akron, Kent, and Toledo, played Army, Boston College, and most recently Ohio State.

The Cleveland Sports Commission, who organized the successful events, has informed me that they are targeting 6-8 teams to play at Browns Stadium during the next 10 seasons, although nothing has officially been set in stone. So while the lakefront will be sans college football in the 2010 season, we will be getting our fair share of top level collegiate football in the coming years on the Northcoast.

Just to have fun with it a little, I am going to come up with some teams I would like to see play in the Cleveland the coming years.

• First and foremost, anyone who saw what it was like to have a Buckeyes game in Cleveland wants to experience it again. So Ohio State is first on the list of teams to lure to play here. Indiana recently gave a home game the home of the Washington Redskins so maybe the City of Cleveland could coax them to come in Ohio to play the Buckeyes. It happened in 1991 when Northwestern had a "home game" against OSU so why not again?
• Notre Dame would also be a sure winner for the City of Cleveland. The Fighting Irish have a huge fanbase in Cleveland and would probably benefit in their recruiting to make a stop in Cleveland. The game would likely feature a MAC school who could play two away games in South Bend exchange for a visit to the Cleveland area. You have seen the St Patrick's Day parade in Cleveland, and wouldn't it be nice to celebrate the Irish in the football season with a party on West 6th like we saw last weekend?
• Michigan, yes Michigan, is an ideal fit to come to Cleveland. During John Cooper's reign at Ohio State, Big Blue had made some in-roads recruiting in Northeast Ohio. They would likely love to be able to lure some Ohio talent to Ann Arbor, and by playing in a well publicized game it couldn't hurt them in a recruiting aspect. Their fans would have an easy drive to Ann Arbor and maybe Cleveland would get out of the dark ages by the time the game was played and some Detroit area money could be spent at a Cleveland casino for a nice role reversal.
• Penn State would also like their foot in door to get some ink in the Cleveland area. Their fans would make the 4 hour trip, and maybe Clevelanders could get a glimpse of coaching legend Joe Paterno, who has been coaching since the days of the Old Testament.
• The Cincinnati Bearcats may be a good team to lure with the proposed railroad connecting Cleveland to Cincinnati. Southern Ohioans would probably make the trek on the 3-C Corridor, and if the school can hang onto Brian Kelly they may have a power on their hands in the coming seasons in the Big East.

Anyone else you'd like to see play at Browns Stadium? If I'm forgetting any schools that could draw a good crowd to the lakefront or that you think the city could lure add a comment.