Football at Wrigley Field shouldn't work. The end zone sits tight against the brick wall. The ivy is right there. The field squeezes into a ballpark built for baseball in 1914. And somehow, on the rare autumn days when Northwestern brought the Wildcats to the North Side, it was one of the best afternoons in college football. While Ryan Field was being rebuilt, Wrigley hosted some of Northwestern's biggest home games — including the last one before the new Ryan Field opened its doors on October 2, 2026.