Bet the farm on more State Farm Centers

I thought there would be more of an uproar when the University of Illinois recently announced its basketball arena, Assembly Hall, will be renamed State Farm Center. But I guess people have become inured to such things.

At least the spaceship-shaped gym on the prairie does have a connection to a farm. The university's Beef Research Farm isn't far from the arena.

For 50 years, it has been Assembly Hall. But things were different a half-century ago. Naming rights for stadiums and arenas -- even those of professional franchises -- didn't exist. It was the Chicago Stadium, Candlestick Park, Tiger Stadium, Comiskey Park, etc. Even the domes were just the Astrodome, the Metrodome, the Superdome.

This isn't some sappy, sad dirge. Almost everything has a price now. It has reached the colleges. State Farm Center? Really? Shrug.

Besides, it's not as if the Big Ten has been immune to this. The league already had ...

Value City Arena at Ohio State.

TCF Bank Stadium at Minnesota.

The new arena that Nebraska will open next season is called Pinnacle Bank Arena.

TCF Bank's naming rights are $35 million for 25 years. The Value City deal with Ohio State was for $12.5 million. Pinnacle Bank Arena is owned by the city of Lincoln.

State Farm is paying Illinois $60 million over 30 years.

My question is when this happens with a football stadium or basketball arena at Iowa or Iowa State? If someone makes an offer that can't be refused ...

Here are some other college sports facilities that sold naming rights:

Texas Tech: Jones AT&T Stadium, United Spirit Arena

Maryland: Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium, Comcast Center

Colorado: Coors Event Center

Central Florida: Bright House Networks Stadium

Fresno State: Save Mart Center

Louisville: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium

Cincinnati: Fifth Third Arena

Xavier: Cintas Center

North Texas: Apogee Stadium

Washington: Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion

Miami: BankUnited Center

Akron: InfoCision Stadium

Arkansas State: Liberty Bank Stadium

Boise State: Taco Bell Arena

Arizona State: Wells Fargo Arena