While Northwestern's new stadium is under construction, Ohio State will get a chance to play at a national landmark on Nov. 16.
Northwestern officially announced the Buckeyes and Wildcats will square off at Wrigley Field, home to the MLB's Chicago Cubs, for their regular-season matchup in 2024 on Wednesday.
It's Here.
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) May 15, 2024
Complete 2024 Schedule pic.twitter.com/N99dQBgd1N
The official announcement came a few hours after The Columbus Dispatch reported that Northwestern had started informing season-ticket holders that the Ohio State game would be played at Wrigley.
Ohio State's game at Northwestern on Nov. 16 will be at Wrigley Field. That's been the expectation for a while, and Northwestern season-ticket holders are being told that's the case. https://t.co/oNWFJhGR1V
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) May 15, 2024
Rivals’ Wildcat Report initially reported in February that Wrigley Field was expected to host Ohio State’s Nov. 16 game against Northwestern, though Northwestern said at the time that it was “still exploring options for where the team will play next season.” Northwestern announced in April that it would play the majority of its home games for the next two seasons at a temporary stadium at its practice facility, but that it was still exploring playing some of its games at other Chicago-area venues with the capacity to host larger crowds.
Wrigley Field holds a capacity of 41,649 fans for baseball games. Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears, and SeatGeek Stadium, the home stadium of the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars, were also reportedly considered as venues for the Ohio State/Northwestern game.
Wrigley Field will also host Northwestern’s final game of the regular season against Illinois on Nov. 30, while it will play its other five home games – including Big Ten games against Maryland, Indiana and Wisconsin – at its practice facility.
Ohio State has won 10 consecutive games against Northwestern dating back to 2004, including a 22-10 win over the Wildcats in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes' last conference title. The Buckeyes won the most recent meeting between the teams in 2022, 21-7, on a notoriously windy day at the former Ryan Field in Evanston. Ohio State holds a 65-14-1 record in the series all-time.
It will be the fifth consecutive time the Buckeyes play Northwestern away from home, with three true road matchups against the Wildcats and two Big Ten Championship Game wins since Ohio State’s last home game against Northwestern in 2016.
