For the 2025 college football season, home-field advantage will be hard to come by in Evanston.
According to a new ranking of Big Ten stadiums, Northwestern’s temporary setup lands at No. 18 dead last in the conference. That’s largely because the Wildcats are playing outside their home stadium while Ryan Field undergoes major renovations.
Instead of hosting games at the familiar 47,000-seat stadium near Lake Michigan, Northwestern will use the school’s soccer and lacrosse facility, a drastic change from the traditional college football experience.
The new Ryan Field is set to debut in 2026. But for now, the program faces a one-year reality that lacks size, atmosphere, and tradition.
While other Big Ten schools like Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State draw 100,000-plus crowds and generate deafening home environments, Northwestern will be operating in a drastically reduced setting, one not originally designed for football at all.
It’s a temporary setback, but one that’s hard to overlook in a conference that prides itself on massive stadiums and crazed superfans on Saturdays. Along with many young players for them to be excited for like defensive back Terrion Curry-Hicks.
Northwestern is fully committed to transforming its football identity, and the new Ryan Field is a key part of that. The university has said the updated stadium will be “engineered to create a powerful homefield sound advantage,” with a smaller seating capacity but better fan engagement.
It’s a bold move in a college football world that often equates success with scale. Northwestern is going smaller but better. The idea is to build a modern venue that reflects the school's academic brand while enhancing its competitiveness in a super-sized Big Ten.
For now, though, the Wildcats will have to endure one of the most unusual home setups in the country. With no real home stadium this fall and a rotating schedule of Big Ten heavyweights, Northwestern’s 2025 season could feel more like a road trip than a home stretch.
But if the renovation delivers on its promise, don’t be surprised if Ryan Field climbs these rankings quickly when the new version opens its gates.