By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Vanderbilt announced Thursday that it is moving its Sept. 6 SEC home game vs. Ole Miss to LP Field, home of the NFLs Tennessee Titans.

Vanderbilt announced Thursday that it is moving its Sept. 6 SEC home game vs. Ole Miss to LP Field, home of the NFLs Tennessee Titans.

“This is a special opportunity for Commodore Nation to enjoy a great football game and have a great time downtown,” Williams said. “We have typically had outstanding games with Ole Miss, and with eight home games we thought moving this one off-campus will further create an electric, bowl-like atmosphere. We are expecting a very good football game in a very good environment.”

The Commodores other seven home games, including SEC contests against Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee, will remain on campus at 40,350-seat Vanderbilt Stadium.

LP Field, located approximately three miles east of Vanderbilts campus, seats just over 69,000, some 29,000 more than Vanderbilt Stadium holds. Last years Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game on campus was a sellout. 52,125 attended the Rebels 2013 Music City Bowl victory over Georgia Tech at LP Field last December.

Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said hes not worried about the potential loss of home-field advantage by moving the game to a larger venue.

cWere Nashvilles team,d Mason said. cNashville is home.d

Due to SEC expansion and related scheduling effects, the teams are meeting in Nashville for the second straight season. Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams said that he was in communication with Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork and that Bjork was on board with the move. The September game will be Ole Miss third in Music City in 53 weeks and is the only game between two SEC teams that weekend.

The Commodores are 2-2 at LP Field, with both victories coming in Music City Bowls, against Boston College in 2008 and N.C. State in 2012. Home games with Tennessee in 2000 and 2002, both Vanderbilt losses, were moved downtown. The Rebels evened their record at 1-1 at the 15-year old stadium last December, having previously lost to West Virginia in the 2000 Music City Bowl.

LP Field has hosted two regular-season college football games in recent years in addition to the Music City Bowl. Western Kentucky opted to move home games with Kentucky in 2011 and 2013 an hour south from Bowling Green to Nashville.

While there are obviously financial incentives for Vanderbilt, profits from alcohol sales are not one. Current SEC policy prohibits the sale of alcohol at SEC events, including games held off campus. The policy for neutral-site games, of which there are three this football season (Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville, Arkansas-Texas A&M in Arlington, Tex.), is expected to be discussed at next months SEC Spring Meetings.

Tickets for the game are included in all Vanderbilt season ticket packages, with individual tickets ranging from $38 for upper level seats to $68 for club level seats. Kickoff time and television information will be announced in the summer.

Both teams open the 2014 season on Thursday, Aug. 28. Vanderbilt will host Temple at Vanderbilt Stadium, while Ole Miss will face Boise State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.