College Football

Wrigley Field might host a future college football bowl game

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:11 a.m. ET

Fansided, Carly Regehr/Fansided

Wrigley Field intends to market itself as a potential host for a future college football bowl game.

According to a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, Wrigley Field might transform its diamond into a rectangle during the college football postseason. Though the ivy will likely be replaced in the outfield and with renovations cluttering some space, it’ll be one of two baseball stadiums to participate in the crossover. Yankee Stadium, which sponsors attendees of the Pinstripe Bowl, started the trend back in 2010.

In Chicago’s, however, college football hasn’t felt so neighborly. Northern Illinois has been at the backhand of most of the poor turnouts. When Northern Illinois hosted Toledo at U.S. Cellular Field in Week 10, reception was unacceptable. Though the hometown of the Chicago Bears, Soldier Field will act as the host for the next three years between Nebraska and Northern Illinois, a decision finalized in 2016.

The news may not all be bad for the North Side. Looking back to 2010, Illinois captured a win at Wrigley Field. At that time in Cubbies history, the organization finished 75-87 under manager Lou Piniella. The roster also featured a youthful Starlin Castro and veteran Marlon Byrd, both of whom led the team in batting average and hits.

The most likely candidate to redeem home field advantage in a bowl game at Wrigley is either Northwestern or Northern Illinois. Currently, Northwestern has its Saturdays played at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL, which is only a half hour’s drive south from Chicago. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois’s Huskie Stadium is just over an hour’s drive west of the Windy City.

With current construction hogging up Wrigley Field, the plan to host a college football bowl game won’t be implemented until 2020. By then, new restaurants will sprout up and the Chicago Cubs might pocket another World Series. Until then, Yankee Stadium and other MLB stadiums might get the chance to lure in a different audience with upside potential.