Northwestern football can barely fill its own stadium. And yet, the Wildcats are planning to play a “home” game at a historic venue that will lead to a massive away crowd.
According to Louis Vaccher of Wildcat Report, athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg spoke with alumni in New York City last week. He said that Northwestern will play one of its regular season games at Lambeau Field in Green Bay during the 2024 college football season.
Although Gragg did not mention an opponent or date, it is expected that the Wildcats will play in Wisconsin, against the Wisconsin Badgers, on Oct. 19. They would be the “home” team, even though the game is being played right in the heart of their opponents’ state.
This change of venue comes as Northwestern seeks a temporary home for 2024 and 2025. Ryan Field is being torn down to build a brand-new $800 million stadium so it cannot play there amid construction.
The school has not announced where it will
Northwestern would play a home game on the road.
There will be more UW fans in attendance than Northwestern fans. It will not be particularly close. The “home” crowd is going to be significantly outnumbered in terms of support, much like when the Wildcats played in Cleveland against the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1991.
Should Gragg’s plans come to fruition, Northwestern would play just the fourth college football game in history at Lambeau Field. Division-III St. Norbert and Fordham played twice at the home of the Packers in 1982 and 1983. The first-ever Division-I game took place between LSU and Wisconsin in 2016.
Tigers fans traveled well for the historic matchup and managed to drink local bars out of beer. However, the crowd was still predominantly in favor of the Badgers.
If that is how it looked for LSU vs. Wisconsin, imagine the amount of red vs. purple for Northwestern vs. Wisconsin. It won’t be close.
The Wildcats are essentially giving up a home game to play at Lambeau Field. Northwestern would play a home game in front of a raucous away crowd at an NFL stadium.