The Northwestern Wildcats’ 2020 game with the Wisconsin Badgers will not be played at Wrigley Field as announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school reported Wednesday. The game was slated for Saturday, Nov. 7.
“This is a disappointing conclusion to reach, but absolutely the right one in our current environment,” said Northwestern Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips. “The uncertainty of football and baseball schedules, and the possibility of limited attendance, made this an easy choice to make for our student-athletes and fans. We’re grateful for our outstanding partners from the Cubs, and look forward to bringing the passion and pageantry of college football gameday to the city’s north side when we can do so safely and securely with a packed house.”
“After consulting with Jim Phillips and Northwestern’s Athletics Department, postponing the next installment of Northwestern football at Wrigley Field made sense given the great number of challenges and uncertainty to navigate in a pandemic environment,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “We look forward to welcoming the Wildcats back to the Friendly Confines to play in front of a capacity crowd of Northwestern fans as soon as possible.”
No announcement has been made on any alternative arrangements for the contest. The Big Ten is reported to be planning a decision on its fall football season sometime in the coming weeks.
Update (9:30pm ET)
Both schools now list the game as being played at Northwestern’s Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., on their official websites.
Football Schedules
They shouldn’t be playing CFB games at Wrigley anyway. The way the stadium is configured, there is not enough room to set out a football field properly. A few years ago, when Northwestern and Illinois played there, the team possessing the ball always had to move the ball in a direction away from the outfield wall. Every time possession changed, the teams had to change sides. No loss in this game being moved.