Ohio State Will Reportedly Play Northwestern At Wrigley Field This Season

When Ohio State heads to Chicago to face off against Northwestern on Nov. 16, that game will take place at Wrigley Field according to a report from The Columbus Dispatch.

The Wildcats’ Ryan Field was demolished after the 2023 season so that it could undergo an $800 million renovation, so they will be playing their games elsewhere for the next two seasons. The school announced that most of its games will take place at their practice facility, but for bigger crowds they could host somewhere else, and now the Buckeyes will play a game inside the home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs.

Soldier Field in Chicago, home of the Bears was another site that was reportedly being considered for the game when it was first rumored back in February, along with the Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field.

Since the MLB season will be over by the time the Buckeyes are in town, and the NFL season will be in full swing, Wrigley Field was more likely not to have a conflict for the Nov. 16 matchup.

Wrigley Field is able to hold 41,649 fans during a baseball game, compared to Ryan Field’s capacity of 47,130 before the renovation.

This won’t be the first time Ohio State plays a game in a professional baseball stadium, though it has been since Oct. 1938 when the Buckeyes went to New York City to play New York University at the Polo Grounds, winning the game 32-0.

Northwestern has played games at Wrigley Field multiple times in recent seasons, matching up against Purdue in 2021 and Iowa last season.

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