Gophers will play Northwestern at Wrigley Field next season

Minnesota's road game against Northwestern will be played in a baseball stadium.

Nov 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; An overall view of Wrigley Field is seen during the second half of a game between the Northwestern Wildcats and Illinois Fighting Illini. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Big Ten released their 2025 football schedule on Wednesday, and one of the most notable announcements was that Minnesota's Week 13 game against Northwestern will be played at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22.

BREAKING: The #Gophers will play Northwestern at Wrigley Field in 2025 as a part of their Big Ten schedule, per @ScottDochterman/@TheAthletic

The official date is TBA. pic.twitter.com/vkTxoQlho4

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 11, 2024

Northwestern is in the process of rebuilding a new Ryan Field, but it's not expected to be ready until the 2026 season. They've played some of their home games at a temporary 12,000-seat stadium near Lake Michigan called Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, but they also played two games at Wrigley Field this season and will play two more next year, including the matchup with Minnesota.

Northwestern hosted Illinois in 2010 at Wrigley Field, which was the first football game at the historic venue since the 1970s, and the Wildcats have played a handful of games at the stadium since then. Minnesota has played against Northwestern 98 times, but this will be the first-ever contest between the two Big Ten mainstays at Wrigley.

Minnesota leads the all-time series with Northwestern 56-37-5. Next season will be their first matchup since the Gophers blew a 24-7 halftime lead in 2023. The Wildcats went 4-8 this year (2-7 Big Ten) in David Braun's second season as head coach.

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