Report: Northwestern football will host Wisconsin at Wrigley Field in 2020 season
Northwestern football is returning to Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Northwestern will host a game against Wisconsin at Wrigley Field on Nov. 7, 2020. It will be the first college football game played at the historic baseball stadium since Northwestern lost to Illinois 48-27 in 2010. Of course, what people remember most about that game isn't the score, but the fact that the field didn't fit inside the stadium, forcing both teams to share a sideline and both offenses using the same end zone.
That won't be the case this time, as renovations at the stadium have left enough room for a football field that can be used without the risk of a player running full-speed into a brick wall.
As for why Northwestern will play Wisconsin in the game rather than rival Illinois, the Tribune reports that the school had only two options due to Wrigley needing to be available to the Chicago Cubs. It could have played Wisconsin on Nov. 7 or Illinois on Nov. 28. Northwestern chose Wisconsin because it "does not want its in-state rival to get a marketing boost from a game at Wrigley Field." Which makes sense, but it also comes with some risk.
Wisconsin has one of the most rabid fan bases in the Big Ten, and like many Big Ten schools, it has a large number of alumni and fans in Chicago. That means there's a chance you could see more red in the stands at Wrigley than purple during the game. Of course, even if that's the case, there's a far greater chance that a game between Northwestern and Wisconsin at Wrigley draws national attention than a game against Illinois would given the current standing of both programs.