"The NFL is annoyed with the idea of the Minnesota Vikings playing up to three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. There is the $67 million financial hit, not to mention potential logistical nightmares while waiting for Metrodome 2.0.

And league owners still would have to sign off on this concept before the Vikings play a single down at the University of Minnesota.

"I can tell you there won't be a lot of happy campers among the membership (owners)," said a person close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of stadium negotiations. "TCF is a gem, but it's not an NFL stadium."

The experiment worked for one game in December 2010. The Vikings excavated TCF Bank Stadium from the snowstorm that collapsed the Metrodome roof to host the Chicago Bears. The game was even celebrated as the franchise's return to outdoor football, and more game day snow helped limit attendance and quell possible brouhahas over general admission seating.

One novelty act, however, does not compare to two or three years of operating losses for the team. It is a tall order to make a smaller college facility conducive to fans used to certain privileges - such as premium seating, parking and booze - or NFL owners accustomed to cost certainty.

"Capacity is way reduced," the person close to the situation said. "It's a different atmosphere for visiting teams, not as much of a home-field advantage for the Vikings. Nobody has figured out how the team will fill

that loss of revenue hole. There's still a lot of wood to chop."

Other teams have had to move to temporary housing. As recently as 2002, the Bears had to migrate south to the University of Illinois while Soldier Field underwent a makeover. But that was just one season. No team has ever played three seasons at an alternative venue since the Super Bowl era began in 1966. "