2024 Northwestern Offseason Thread

[847badgerfan]

I don't expect this thread to get too much play, but there is no other place to put this. Kind of an oopsie that the AD didn't find a home for his team before they started ripping their stadium part.

[ELA]

Will make for good tv viewing

[847badgerfan]

Lots of gale storms in October/November. Could get ugly on The Lake if those happen.

Last fall there were a few, and there was one that produced 22 foot waves out of the NE. 

That's a +/- 60 MPH wind.

[GopherRock]

Mistake By the Lake 2.0.

Also...


https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1775285208272515565

[FearlessF]

UNL not visiting in 24 or 25 or 26

[Temp430]

I seem to remember a minimum seating capacity requirement around 40K for D1 schools back in the day.  I guess that requirement did not carry into FBS.

[847badgerfan]

This is temporary. Probably be fine there.

[betarhoalphadelta]

I seem to remember a minimum seating capacity requirement around 40K for D1 schools back in the day.  I guess that requirement did not carry into FBS.

I just looked it up. No current stadium size requirement, but they DO have to average 15K attendance over a rolling two-year period. 

Incidentally I thought the same as you that there was a minimum stadium seating capacity requirement (and I think there was), but I had thought it was 35K, which this new stadium would just barely clear. 

[847badgerfan]

Been to a lot of games in the old place. 

[LittlePig]

It's not clear to me if NW has finalized any plans for NW home games in 2024.

Its one thing to use temporary facilities along the lakefront for things like Lacrosse,  but that could be bad look for NW home football games.  I think one thing NW may still be waiting for is the exact dates of the NFL home games in 2024.  Rumor has it that Soldier Field is trying to charge high rents,  but also the Bears and Fire get first choice of dates. 

[LittlePig]

If I had to guess,  if the temporary lakefront plan does not work out the backup plan will be for NW to play it's home football games at the following

Miami—oh,  Aug31.  My guess this game will get moved to Sun Sep1 and will be played at Soldier Field

Duke, Sep7,  SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL

EIU,  Sep 14,  SeatGeek Stadium

Indiana,  Oct5,  SeatGeek Stadium

Wisc,  Oct19,  Lambau Field in Green Bay,  Wisc

Ohio St,  Nov16,  Wrigley Field,  Homecoming

Illinois,  Nov 30,  Soldier Field

[Brutus Buckeye]

I seem to remember a minimum seating capacity requirement around 40K for D1 schools back in the day.  I guess that requirement did not carry into FBS.

It would have to be FBS. Most FCS stadiums are nowhere near that. Take SUU, for example. 





Although it does appear as though the portion of the grandstands containing the press boxes would have been installed around the time they moved up to FCS in the 20-ots, seemingly to reach some sort of minimum required capacity for FCS. 

[847badgerfan]

It's not clear to me if NW has finalized any plans for NW home games in 2024.

Its one thing to use temporary facilities along the lakefront for things like Lacrosse,  but that could be bad look for NW home football games.  I think one thing NW may still be waiting for is the exact dates of the NFL home games in 2024.  Rumor has it that Soldier Field is trying to charge high rents,  but also the Bears and Fire get first choice of dates.

It is done. They are playing on the Lakefront with a temporary stadium.

They failed on this. They should have had everything in line before they wrecked Ryan Field. Instead, they are at the mercy of everyone with a stadium, and they were all asking too much.

Lambeau actually could have happened, but their big donors were not about to give Wisconsin a home game. That's where the money came from to build the temporary facility on The Lake.

[LittlePig]

It is done. They are playing on the Lakefront with a temporary stadium.

They failed on this. They should have had everything in line before they wrecked Ryan Field. Instead, they are at the mercy of everyone with a stadium, and they were all asking too much.

Lambeau actually could have happened, but their big donors were not about to give Wisconsin a home game. That's where the money came from to build the temporary facility on The Lake.

Well,  the most recent article just says most of the football games will be played at the temporary stadium,  but it is not sure all 7 games will be,.  For the 3 OOC games, they probably won't get a lot of fans anyway, and the weather will be nice in Sep,  so might as well play those 3 games at the temporary stadium. 

I predict Ohio St will still be at Wrigley Field since it's late enough in the year to be after the Cubs are done, and the game will bring a lot of fans.

Bret Belima is on record that he does not like Wrigley,  which makes me think the Illinois game will be at Soldier Field on Thanksgiving weekend.  The students  will all be home that weekend anyway.  Plus Soldier Field is built to handle cold weather if it is cold that day. 

For Wisconsin,  that game should bring a lot of fans.  They need a larger stadium for that game.  If not Lambau,  then Soldier Field makes the most sense to me.

The other Big Ten game is Indiana.  Previously NW had confirmed that was going to be at SeatGeek Stadium.  But Bridgeview is actually not that close to Evanston.  So I doubt they would have got many fans at SeatGeek.  So they might as well play Indiana at the temporary stadium.

Anyway, that's my prediction.  The Ohio St,  Illinois and Wisc games will not be played at the temporary stadium.  We will see.