Big Ten football is coming to Wrigley Field, and it could get ugly for Northwestern.

The Wildcats have endured a tough year after a surprisingly strong 2023 season, starting 2-4 in Big Ten play and scoring five points or fewer in losses to both Washington and Wisconsin. Ohio State likely represents Northwestern’s toughest test yet on Saturday.

David Braun’s team hopes a special kind of home-field advantage will be on their side. Are the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes prepared to play in one of the most unique settings in college football? The 110-year-old home of the Cubs has hosted football games before, but this one is more than just a novelty.

Here’s what you need to know about why Northwestern is hosting Ohio State at Wrigley Field.

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Why is Ohio State vs. Northwestern at Wrigley Field?

Northwestern is displaced through at least 2025, as the 98-year-old Ryan Field was demolished for construction of the Wildcats’ new venue slated to open in 2026. 

The program played its first five home games at lakeside Martin Stadium, which has more of a high school feel than a Big Ten football feel. Martin Stadium holds just over 12,000 fans, down dramatically from Ryan Field’s capacity of about 47,000, and the setting right next to Lake Michigan leaves games subject to intense winds.

With baseball season over, though, Wrigley Field helps solve both of those problems. The capacity is much larger, and wind might not be as much of a factor — though Cubs fans will tell you wind blowing in from the outfield can always impact games at the iconic stadium. 

The Cubs’ season ended seven weeks ago, but Northwestern couldn’t schedule games at Wrigley Field in October just in case Chicago reached the postseason. That put Wrigley Field off limits for games on Oct. 5 and Oct. 19, even if the Cubs still playing at that point wasn’t the most likely scenario.

The stadium is now in the clear to host games against Ohio State and Illinois, with the Wildcats needing two more wins to earn bowl eligibility. 

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Where does Northwestern play?

Northwestern played at Ryan Field from 1926-2023, but the university began planning for a new, state-of-the-art football stadium earlier in the decade and demolished the nearly century-old venue earlier this year. 

For at least 2024 and 2025, Northwestern will split games between Martin Stadium on the shore of Lake Michigan and Wrigley Field. Expect the Wildcats to start next season at Martin Stadium again before finishing the year at Wrigley once the MLB postseason has ended.

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College football games at Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field doesn’t host an annual bowl game like Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, but the classic stadium is not a stranger to hosting college football games. 

College football returned to Wrigley Field in 2010 for the first time in more than 80 years when Northwestern hosted Illinois. The Illini earned a 48-27 win in the annual rivalry game with a fascinating new backdrop. 

Due to a lack of space, however, the offenses were only able to drive in one direction, creating some additional chaos after turnovers.

Northwestern returned to Wrigley Field in 2021, with the Wildcats hosting Purdue. It was another loss for the home team, as the Boilermakers rolled to a 32-14 win behind a big day from QB Aidan O’Connell. By this point, though, the end zone issue was solved and offenses were able to drive in either direction.

Wrigley Field doesn’t have a rich history of hosting college football games over the last several decades, but that’s about to change with two games this year and some more next season. Northwestern hopes at least one of them is a win, but Ohio State could make it extraordinarily difficult on Saturday. 

The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field.

After suffering a loss in Week 7 to the Oregon Ducks, head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have managed to win three straight conference games. During the stretch, Ohio State has outscored opponents 86-30, while also defeating the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions on the road, 20-13.

One of the biggest adjustments the Buckeyes have made since losing to Oregon has been on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has completely changed his unit over the past month, and it has clearly paid off. Ohio State has the lowest yards allowed per game in the country with 250.8, while also allowing an average of 10.7 points per game.

As for Northwestern, the program has faced multiple challenges throughout the 2024 season. The Wildcats currently sit at 4-5 on the year with key victories against Maryland and Purdue. Led by head coach David Braun, the fellow Big Ten Conference member has struggled to find an offensive identity.

The lack of offensive production from Northwestern has been supplemented by a stout defense. Throughout nine games this season, the Wildcats defense has allowed an average of 108.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten Conference. In the team’s huge win against Maryland, the defense allowed a staggering 1.8 rushing yards per attempt.

Saturday’s matchup will be the fourth time since 1938 that Wrigley Field will host a college football game. Northwestern has been well-acclimated to the baseball field, as they played the Iowa Hawkeyes in the venue last season.

Day told reporters on Tuesday that the team will travel to the stadium on Friday to get a feel of the place.

“I’d like for them to see the makeup of it, I want them to see the turf. I want them to feel where the infield is filled in with the sod. I’d like for them to see how we are going to handle halftime; we’re going to be in the bullpen and not going up into the locker room. There’s just some different things I’d like for them to see.”

– Ryan Day

The Week 12 contest will also be a homecoming game for sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate. When discussing how important this game would be for Tate, Day gave a heartfelt response, claiming that he wants to win the game for his young receiver.

“I just cannot say enough about Carnell Tate. I’m not gonna get into it right now, but I just have so much respect for who he is as a person, what he’s been through, and the fact that he’s going back to Chicago. I want to win this game personally for him, and I know the team respects the fact that he’s going home — and it means a lot to him.”

– Ryan Day

Quarterback Will Howard has quietly become an underdog to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy, and he could easily boost his stock on Saturday.

Northwestern’s defense has struggled against the pass this year, allowing an average of 241.1 passing yards in 2024. Despite the multiple talented pass rushers that are on the Wildcats’ defensive line, Ohio State’s front line has proven to withstand some of the best front seven’s in the nation.

If Howard can continue the success he found against Purdue, the Buckeyes will walk out of Chicago with a victory.

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork joined Skip Mosic on 97.1 The Fan during halftime of the Buckeyes football 45-0 win over Purdue, and while on the air, Bjork admitted “a lot of improvement” can be made when it comes to the atmosphere at OSU’s sporting events.

“Our players deserve it,” he said. “The fans want to be entertained; the fans want to have fun, and that’s really what we’re after. You want to walk away from there and, forget the game, you want to say, ‘Boy, I had fun. Boy, that was entertaining.’ That’s what we want to create.”

Mosic specifically brought up at “The Schott,” also known as Value City Arena.

In response, Bjork praised new Ohio State men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler and his energy. Bjork also said the Buckeye women’s team plays an electric style of basketball and features a freshman in Jaloni Cambridge who will be really exciting to watch.

Bjork then went on to explain that the athletic department has a “comprehensive review” of all its venues underway, and secret shoppers are a part of that project.

“We have somebody that comes in that nobody knows they’re there,” Bjork said.

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Those secret shoppers take notes on their experiences and share them with OSU.

For Bjork, the hope is that what is reported back helps Ohio State consistently recreate the atmosphere that the men’s basketball team saw during its NIT run last season.

“To me, that’s kind of the blueprint of how our fans can be engaged, how our students can be engaged,” he said. “We need that every game.”

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15