The Ohio State football team has to travel to Northwestern this weekend. They won't be playing at Ryan Field though. While the new stadium at Northwestern is being built where Ryan Field once stood, the Buckeyes have to play at Wrigley Field, the home of the Cubs.
Ohio State gets a chance to play in an iconic venue. It's something the Buckeyes will likely never get an opportunity to do ever again. It will certainly be fun to watch on television too. I'm excited to watch it on Big Ten Network on Saturday. Still, there is a concern with the field dimensions.
As you can imagine, it's not easy to put a football field onto a surface that is designed for baseball. It means some things are going to be squeezed in. One of those things getting squeezed in is the end zone, and it might be a bit too close for comfort for Ohio State's receivers.
The end zone at Wrigley Field could be an issue for the Ohio State football team
Take a look at how close the end zone is to the outfield wall at Wrigley Field.
Wrigley Field is looking a little different for the Northwestern vs. Ohio State game this weekend 👀
— MLB (@MLB) November 14, 2024
(via @NUFBFamily) pic.twitter.com/FPrhVLv6DB
That second picture is what concerns me the most. What happens if a Buckeye receiver like Carnell Tate tries to catch a pass in the back of the end zone running at full speed? That could spell a disaster if they run into the wall like that. That's asking for a serious injury if that happens.
You would think that they would put some more padding on that wall to make sure that such a thing doesn't happen. It remains to be seen if they will do that to make sure that players from both teams are safe. That should be the top priority for the Big Ten.
Hopefully, there are no issues on Saturday and the only thing we are talking about is the quality of the football that is played.