Indiana
Northwestern’s ‘imperfect’ pop-up stadium will make for scenic Indiana football game
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana football will be in for a unique experience when it heads to Evanston to play Northwestern in October.
The Hoosiers played at Ryan Field the last time they visited their Big Ten rival in 2016, but all that’s left of the venue is rubble.
Northwestern demolished the stadium over a four month-span starting in February as they started the process of an $800 million redevelopment project. That left the Wildcats in search of a temporary home until the 2026 season when construction will be completed on the new 35,000-seat venue.
Those new digs will be a temporary structure — a ”Lakeside pop up” as coach David Braun called it on Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days — built around its on-campus soccer/lacrosse stadium that sits right off the shores of Lake Michigan.
They will play five of their home games including the one against Indiana on Oct. 5 at the facility. The program’s other two games (Ohio State and Iillinois) will be played at Wrigley Field.
More: IU’s Curt Cignetti took shot at Purdue football. Boilermakers kept receipts.
“There have been so many moving parts,” Braun said. “So many experts in their space that have been involved in those conversations to make it best for Northwestern, best for the Big Ten and best for everyone involved.”
Northwestern considered a variety of options from playing its home games at Soldier Field to using the Chicago Fire’s former home, SeatGeek Stadium. Braun threw his support behind the temporary stadium after his interim tag was removed at the end of the 2023 season.
“I spoke with great conviction that I felt it was in the best interests of our student-athletes, best interests of our program and the best interests of our students on campus for our game day environment,” Braun said. “To be honest with you, this is the best case scenario to bridge the gap to the new Ryan Field.”
It will be a much smaller venue with a capacity of just 15,000, but Braun’s experience coaching a North Dakota State football program that plays at the vaunted Fargodome (18,700 fans) makes him think it could be an advantage.
“We got an opportunity to give our allotment to our other Big Ten opponent, but the rest of that pop up should be purple,” Braun said.
More: Why Rutgers coach Greg Schiano anticipates bright future for Indiana football
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any drawbacks including the weather. Braun didn’t know what the locker room situation would be for the visiting team, but campus staff is working through all those logistical hurdles.
There will be coaching boxes overlooking the field for both Northwestern and the visiting teams to have assistants view the game from a higher vantage point.
“It’s going to be really unique and I think it’s going to be something that everyone that’s a part of it will remember, it will be imperfect though,” Braun said.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
The Indiana Hoosiers are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship and they have barreled through some of the best teams in college football to get there.
The National Championship Game is set, with the Indiana Hoosiers facing the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on Monday, Jan. 19. The matchup was officially locked in when Indiana took down the Oregon Ducks in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, 56-22. After the Hoosiers’ 38-3 win over Alabama, I would not want to be the team standing in their path.
But for Indiana fans, they could not have asked for a better season. You can celebrate all of those big moments, from the Big Ten championship and Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman win, to the Rose Bowl victory with unique sports prints. Then, cap it off with gear at Fanatics heading into the National Championship.
Here is a look at what to shop for the latest Hoosier’s championship gear at Fanatics:
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Miami Hurricanes vs. Indiana Hoosiers ’47 College Football Playoff 2026 National Championship Game Matchup Hitch Adjustable Hat
Shop Indiana Hoosiers Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl gear
Indiana Hoosiers College Football Playoff 2026 Peach Bowl Champions Locker Room T-Shirt
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Michigan State narrowly escaped with a home win against the now 8–7 Northwestern Wildcats. The Spartans struggled mightily in the first half, entering the break down seven points after scoring just 28 points. Michigan State committed eight turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
After a sluggish start, the Spartans regrouped and took control in the second half. Michigan State shot 14-of-27 from the field after halftime, playing with better pace and ball movement.
Jeremy Fears, who picked up two early fouls and began the game 0-of-4 from the field, responded with a strong second half. He finished the game shooting 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Overall, Michigan State was far more composed in the second half against the Wildcats. However, with a matchup against Indiana looming, the Spartans will not be able to afford another slow start like the one they experienced against Northwestern.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana has undergone a similar offseason transformation to another Big Ten opponent Michigan State has already faced: the Iowa Hawkeyes. After parting ways with head coach Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers hired former West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries.
DeVries began his head coaching career at Drake, where he posted an impressive 150–55 record. Over his final four seasons with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 108 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
DeVries also went 79–33 in Missouri Valley Conference play, captured three MVC titles, and guided Drake to six of the program’s 11 20-win seasons before leaving for West Virginia.
In his lone season with the Mountaineers, DeVries engineered a significant turnaround, improving West Virginia from a 10-win team to a 19-win team.
Now at Indiana, DeVries has continued that trend of rapid improvement. In Mike Woodson’s final season, the Hoosiers finished 19–13 and missed the NCAA Tournament. This season, Indiana has already reached 12 wins and appears firmly back in the postseason conversation.
The Hoosiers are led by senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, a transfer from Sam Houston. Wilkerson is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three-point range.
Indiana has been strong on both ends of the floor. According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 30th nationally in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.
As Michigan State prepares to face Indiana, the Spartans will need to clean up their first-half execution to keep pace with one of the Big Ten’s more balanced teams. Indiana’s efficiency on both ends of the court, combined with DeVries’ proven ability to elevate programs quickly, makes this a difficult matchup. For Michigan State, a complete 40-minute performance will be essential if it hopes to build momentum in conference play.
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The Oregon Ducks’ season has ended in heartbreak for the second-straight season. They advanced farther than they did last year, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals before they succumbed to the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers.
In the days leading up to the rematch, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning spoke about what needed to change from the last matchup, and the turnover battle was one of the things he spoke most passionately about. There is no way he can be happy after the Ducks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with each one leading to easy points for the Hoosiers.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein was asked to reflect on this aspect after the game, and he had this to say, “We just spotted these guys 21 points. You know, it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over three times in your own territory, plus a pick six.”
Oregon’s defense wasn’t great in this game either, but a lot of their struggles were the result of being asked to shut down an Indiana offense that was often set up in or near the red zone. Stein acknowledged this in his answer, telling reporters, “You don’t do anything good for your defense in that aspect. So obviously, poor job by us taking care of the ball, and it was obviously the big difference in the game.
The Hoosiers scored 28 points off Ducks turnovers, which ended up being the key difference in the 34-point loss. It also doesn’t feel farfetched to believe that Oregon would have played with much more fire if the turnovers didn’t put the game out of reach.
This game will leave a sour taste in this group’s mouth because they know things will never be the same. Stein and Tosh Lupoi are going off to lead their own teams now, along with a ton of uncertainty about which players will remain in Eugene after this loss.
The Ducks had a prime opportunity to achieve glory, but they came up just short yet again thanks to a slew of giveaways.
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