Saturday marks the final chance for Northwestern Wildcats football to notch a win at Wrigley Field in the modern era. Minnesota comes in on Saturday (11am, BTN) for what will be the Wildcats home finale of the 2025 season. They’ll move into the new Ryan Field next season, and when they do, there will be no more “home” games at Wrigley Field.
That is according to sources within the school, who also told The Sports Bank, “well, never say never” when discussing this topic.
In other words, the door is still slighty ajar to playing at Wrigley again, someday, but for now, no.
After all, Northwestern played a game at Wrigley in 1938, and then didn’t play their again until 2010. And sources within NU basically confirmed what head coach David Braun implied at his weekly press conference on Monday, when he said he’s “not sure” if the Wildcats Wrigley series would continue.
Braun said in full, ahead of yesterday’s loss to Michigan: “Not sure if they will continue, to be really honest with you. I really want to acknowledge how appreciative we are to be playing at Wrigley and for the Cubs partnership.”
And this makes sense. The new Ryan Field, at a cost of $862,000,000, will be the most expensive college football stadium of all-time. So why would you be moving games out of there and into a baseball stadium that was erected in 1914?
When you buy a Lamborghini, you don’t go drive another car. Also the Friendly Confines have been nothing but a house of horrors to NU football. They are winless at 1060 W. Addison, in six tries, with a -78 point differential:
2010 Illinois 48-27, 2021 Purdue 32-14, 2023 Iowa 10-7, 2024 Ohio State 31-7, Illinois 38-28, 2025 Michigan 24-22.
On top of that, the Wildcats Wrigley series have been home games in name only. Every single crowd at the Chicago Cubs home field has been a majority of the other team’s fans.
Honestly, there is no added benefit to playing any more NU football games at Wrigley beyond Saturday.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.