Dec 18, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans hold up a sign asking for a new stadium during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at the Metrodome. The Saints defeated the Vikings 42-20. Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

With the new Vikings’ stadium finally a reality, we can start to think about the perks of a shiny new facility that (hopefully) won’t collapse because it’s snowing.

One particular perk to keep in mind: the very real possibility that Minnesota will soon host a Super Bowl.

It’s been 20 years since Minnesota hosted its one and only Super Bowl. Not that I’m complaining. Even then, the Metrodome wasn’t the best facility, the weather in Minnesota is not at its best in February and the Twin Cities night life isn’t exactly world famous.

So it’s understandable why it took 10 years after the Metrodome was built for Minnesota to get a Super Bowl.

But the NFL has set a precedent with many of the most recently built stadiums.  The stadiums in Arizona, Dallas, Houston and Tampa Bay all received a Super Bowl within at least three years of their opening. Detroit, New Jersey and Indianapolis all hosted a Super Bowl within four years.

In the 10 Super Bowls that have been scheduled since Super Bowl XL in 1996 in Detroit, only two cities who had not built a stadium in the 10 years beforehand received the bid, Miami (twice—2007, 2010) and New Orleans (2013), but both those stadiums incurred massive renovations before winning their Super Bowl bids.

The NFL has also started to move away from its “Super Bowl will only be held in paradise” stance. While the majority of Super Bowls are still played in southern, vacation-friendly cities, the recent Super Bowls in Detroit, Indianapolis and soon to be East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2014 show a willingness to bring America’s biggest game into the cold-weather elements of the north.

Now, with the Minnesota legislature and the Wilf family agreeing on a deal to build Metrodome 2.0, it seems like only a matter of time before the Vikings and the city of Minneapolis start putting in bids for a Super Bowl.

With an early estimate on the finish of the stadium in 2016, the first possible Super Bowl would be Super Bowl LI in 2017

Who knows? By then, we should be out of rebuilding mode. Maybe we could be the first team to host a Super Bowl we play in.

I hope you’re not superstitious. I already get enough hate mail.

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It’s a tossup to me which site I prefer, Arden Hills certainly has room to do whatever you want, build up the area as a Zygetaway, and at this point offers a retractable roof.  On the other side of the coin, Minneapolis, whether it’s the dome or the farmer’s market site, has infrastructure, business, and may even have a downtown casino nearby to make it an attractive destination for many different reasons.  Target field has been a proven winner, the businesses around the field are just packed after games, and I think that adding a new Vikings stadium would keep business thriving for years to come.  The roads don’t need to built, the Light Rail is built, and Minneapolis just has a ring to it when you think of a stadium solution.

It seems like a tough decision to make now will require it be added to a special session, which sounds like a longshot.

Side note: The published photo of Ponder throwing to Rudolph the pass is high, they should’ve re-done the take and it been perfect…Now I question his accuracy after just one throw…of course I am joking, but that thought went through my brain I will not lie.

Follow me on Twitter @TomSimano  (clever I know)