rdg25

Go Cats! Purple is beautiful and needs to grow, especially when another team takes over your stadium, complains about the facilities, and wins.

A win would be nice but really a bonus, as would next week's away game at Wisconsin.. Any 3 and outs. and any turnovers and not controlling the ball to keep Braxton off the field will kill any chance. Do any of those and you're looking at a blowout. It's more crucial (to me) to beat Nebraska and Iowa, along with MSU and Minnesota in a REAL tough schedule. I consider Nebraska a strong rival with the rally cry "Remember the Alamo (bowl, 2000)". I do hope it's close and a good game because the excitement on campus is sky high, with Gameday in town and lot of national attention.

This may be more for Indiana, the other red team. They played Ohio State tough, so if they beat Wisconsin Saturday, that may change things. It's been 1968 since their last visit. The Big 10 analysts were not discounting Indiana's chances, and if they make it, they will probably produce a show like this one tonight about the Hoosiers. So whoever goes to Pasadena, the stands will be likely be red.

Just an FYI - as Nebraska is the best contender for the Rose Bowl, I can't image how well Nebraska fans will travel to Pasadena. To get a glimpse, on the Big 10 Network, there is an hour-long show about the Northwestern 1995 Rose Bowl season (and came close to winning it less a few bad calls). It is interesting because this trip to Pasadena came off the years of a program in shambles with a 34 consecutive loss streak, and strong suggestions that Northwestern leave the Big 10. I saw it tonight and figure on an election night not many would watch it. It was great show, re-living those years beating Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue. So to get a glimpse of your probable Rose Bowl season, check it out on the Big 10 network on Wednesday Nov 7 @ 9pm (and 10am).

With a huge match up with Michigan next week. I'm rooting for NW. A little off topic, but here a new non-football ranking that just came out. Big 10 did well. Nebraska #120, Minnesota #92, Ohio State #83, Michigan #49, Michigan State #160, Illinois #28, Purdue #97, Penn State #153, Iowa #124. http://blog.lumosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Lumositys-Smartest-Colleges.pdf (full rankings start around page 12).

Thanks. I'm surprised this discussion is well into Michigan week. No I'm a White Sox fan though I grew up near Wrigley. However, many nearby schools took field trips to Wrigley, especially before the 1969 season. At the time I was far more interested in the Ron Santo Pizza vendor walking the aisles than the game. But when I went to Sox games, I paid attention to the game. Some of my classmates walked to Wrigley after school and the ushers would let the kids in for free after the 8th-9th inning in the bleachers. Yes I am a Bears fan. Despite all the Bulls championships, and the Sox and Blackhawks, the 1985 Bears season was the most fun I ever had as a sports fan and was like an obsessed Nebraska fan (Super bowl shuffle for some younger fans who may have missed http://www.metacafe.com/watch/69344/super_bowl_shuffle/ ). I did suffer through some bad Bears football in the late sixties at Wrigley, but the bright spot it that I was at the game when Brian Piccolo scored a touchdown before his bout with cancer, and some games with nasty hits by Butkus. The point is that tickets were easier to get with the team down. And I took advantage of that and enjoyed the games. This is the situation with Nebraska fans. Tickets were available (but not because Northwestern plays bad football) and Nebraska fans are took advantage. More power to them. Chicago fans had plenty of chances to buy tickets, Northwestern had almost a daily front page small ad on the front page of the Chicago Tribune for season tickets. And for single tickets there were plenty of opportunities to buy reasonably priced aftermarket tickets. So I don't see the issue here really, other than a frustrated fan that could have easily gotten a ticket if he wanted to.

I agree with you. The state of Illinois has huge problems due in large part to political corruption originating from Cook County to name one, one of the biggest being the pension crisis that should bankrupt the state. And we had a 66% tax increase which is painful, decided by Chicago area pols. I lived in southern part of Illinois for a few years. The only action in southern Illinois sportswise, besides the Cardinals, was the Salukis who had Gale Sayers as its Athletic Director during my time. Hopefully the Salukis will get their new sports center & football stadium they are planning and a segue to winning football in (I think) the Missouri Valley conference. Northwestern played SIU a few years ago in Evanston, lousy weather, but I don't see them on the horizon any time soon.

I give you guys lots of credit for making the journey and supporting your team. Given that you know that Ryan Field doesn't have the amenities that Memorial Stadium has and you come back in 2 years, I give you even more credit because I know your there for your team. Yes, we have the Bears, Bulls, Sox, Cubs Blackhawks and Fire, several good college venues, and of course many things to do in the Chicago in a weekend. To me, Northwestern football is a goldmine and treasure that many Chicagoans haven't discovered and take for granted. Imagine the smallest school and maybe highest academic standards in the Big 10 holding their own against a powerhouse like Nebraska. It brings back memories of the "little school by the L", DePaul University, almost prevented the 1979 NCAA final between Bird and Magic, by almost beating Bird's Indiana State. That was coached by Ray Meyer, and we have a similar coach with Pat Fitzgerald. Maybe a growing pocket of fans in Chicago will wake up and discover good football like people of Lincoln have with their team (albeit the only game in town). That was the goal, I think, of having the game at Wrigley Field, to showcase the team to the average Chicago sports fan. Until that happens, I say more power to you. I think you've seen that, in spite of the shortcomings of the stadium, that there is plenty else in Chicago to make up for it, versus a place like Lubbock (no disrespect to that town). I was just talking to my work colleague, a Wisconsin alum; if Nebraska fans took over Camp Randall, you couldn't tell the difference much which red was which team. That would have help Northwestern's cause if red rather than purple. So I say, keep on coming until things change, either a growing fan base, or more restrictive season ticket selling. Your support of your team is to be admired. p.s. Lincoln was rated one of the safest towns in the USA by Forbes. That plus the high standards of professionalism stamped on the fan base (I assume) by Tom Osborne. So we know we have a bunch of decent people coming (at least from Lincoln). From what I hear, you guys were one of the best guests compared to fans from other Big 10 schools and seemed to have a good time, except for waiting for the bathrooms.

As far as I know it is grass. BTW, here's a picture of the "other" NU http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/architecture/image.php?iid=206 . Yes, last Saturday was a nice one on the campus, was there myself looking toward the lake, some sailboats were out. Drove by the stadium during the game and noticed a lot of red shirts on Central Avenue, having a good time. Northwestern has its plan and it has chosen to focus the $200 million on a lakefront athletic facility rather than stadium improvements for now. People can mock the stadium what a joke it is or compare it to a high school stadium, but it's not going to sway much its resolve to do what it has to do to improve its sporting program in light of being more of an academic school than a football school.

It's not suited for hockey either but it didn't stop them from having a Blackhawks game there and tickets were impossible to get. Yes I was at the 2010 game and agree that until they move part of the 3rd base wall they can't use right field as an end zone. Remember the decision came one week before the game, too late to make adjustments. Some fans with high priced right field bleacher seats wanted refunds because they didn't have any end zone action there. The owner of the Cubs is a Northwestern fan (with a Cornhusker heart since he is from Nebraska) so they may make it happen, though I really doubt for Nebraska. He got lots of tickets last Saturday for his friends and family so if Northwestern wants to try it again, I think they have his support. There were a lot of enthusiastic Illinois fans and Greeks and alumni groups rented out the apartment seats in right and left field in 2010. Illinois fans probably most appreciate the tradition of the football at Wrigley with the Bears playing there for many many years. I don't know which other Big 10 team besides Illinois this would work well, probably Iowa.

Any game at Wrigley Field is really more for the benefit of Chicago fans who don't normally venture up to Evanston for Northwestern football. Many fans from Nebraska may not appreciate the venue of Wrigley, and perhaps complain about the lack of a big screen like Huskervision and other amenities. I can understand that since I grew up not far from Wrigley but was a White Sox fan and liked the more state of the art exploding scoreboard et al at Comiskey Park versus the low tech Wrigley with the manual scoreboard. Ironically retro has taken off in baseball and has kept Wrigley and Fenway around. Football does not wax lyrical about the past as much as baseball does and so the average Nebraska fan is more suited for the NFL and Soldier Field. But I don't think it's going to happen; imagine instead of 55-60% red at Ryan it would be 75-80% red at SF. Until then, I think Nebraska will have to make due with the low tech Ryan Field for now and if Nebraska fans didn't like this last trip, many other fans in red will take their place. Northwestern just doesn't have the football revenues like the $50 million in 2009-2010 that Nebraska had (and set to grow higher with the 2013 upgrades), and isn't about skyboxes and big scoreboards and luxury amenities. Until then, you need to bring your 4G LTE smart phones for replays for the lack of the replay scoreboard.

With the focus on the Lakefront facility, I am not sure if a baseball renovation is in the works. Instead of the mantra being "If we build it, they will come", it is more like "If they come, we will build it". Having said that, facilities are important, but most true fans are there for the game. I think you saw a good one Saturday, unlike the 66-17 Northwestern/Nebraska Amamo Bowl in 2000. Hopefully they will continue to be good ones in future battles for the "NU trophy". When I saw the Bears playing at Wrigley, the facilities weren't that good for football, neither was the team really, except for Butkus and Sayers. When you see plays like this (at 2:35-2:40), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxR9qYSHt8U Butkus smashing Ron Johnson (Browns/Michigan alum) from 10-20 feet away like I did, you're defintely glad you were there for the game in spite of the facilities. By the way, is there any coincidence that Fitzgerald wore #51 when he played at Northwestern? Hopefully if/when recruiting improves after the Lakefront facility, that type of defense may be more prevalent in future Nebraska-Northwestern contests, and you'll be glad you were there for the game in spite of the stadium.

I haven't seen the baseball facilities north of the stadium, but maybe if Joe Giradi retires from the Yankees, he can come back to his alma mater and help improve the facilities and interest. Hard to promote baseball with the Cubs and Sox in town down the "L" Red line. Were he still alive, George Steinbrenner may have been interested too, since he coached the football Wildcats as an assistant to Lou Saban. Good luck with Michigan this week, should be a good game.

There is no doubt there is need for Improvements II, but the Lakefront practice facility is the focus now. Warren Buffett would probably agree with that investment analysis, and in time the Improvements ll come. The stadium logistics was overwhelmed by the full house and national TV, given sellouts are not a regular thing; however, given this was Nebraska's first visit, more attention could have been paid to that. Until then, bear with us. Given this, Nebraska would probably not be a good candidate for Wrigley, because many visiting fans would be insulted to pee in a trough. It's not going to happen anyway, at least not with Nebraska in 2014. You would be better comparing Nebraska facility with Solider Field, since the Huskers are more like a pro team being the only game in town . Ironically, in 1960 the Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals could have moved to Ryan Field but George Halas blocked it. And the Bears could have moved there in 1970 but the people of Evanston opposed it. Improvements would have surely come In terms of the fans, much of the Northwestern alumni base is across the country. Chicago is more of a Bear town. In local stores, you see Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Illinois gear but rarely Northwestern. The AD's challenge is to continue to sell the Wildcats as "Chicago's Big 10 Team". So for now, visiting fans are a big part of the attendance, like Wisconsin and Nebraska and Michigan, who travel well with the team. Let me just say that I was glad and am proud to have Nebraska as part of the Big 10, due in big part to Tom Osborne's reputation, versus some of the other schools in the Big 12. You can continue go to any Big 10 school and have the prestige of a great education and great sporting experience too.

In the Big 10: *Northwestern is the only private school *Northwestern may have the highest academic standards, and maybe the highest football graduation rate. *Northwestern is not a football school yet unlike the University of Chicago, which was in the Big10, did not drop Division 1 football.to focus on academics *Unlike UNL or OSU, Northwestern is not the only sporting venue in town, let alone many other things to do in Chicago *Northwestern campus does not have a lot of space to grow *Northwestern would like to be where Stanford is, tops in academics but also tops in sports, but is making progress on the sports end. A lakefront practice facility is the higher priority, which unlike the stadium will be used every day. Plus the fan base is not there like ND and UNL to fund stadium improvements for reasons above. So the stadium, which is in a neighborhood like Wrigley, is what it is, and right-sized for now, and please come again in two years.

Welcome to Chicago, Nebraska Fans. http://www.wgntv.com/sports/breaking/chi-welcome-to-chicago-nebraska-fans-20121019,0,2260409.graphic

I've seen the Bears play several times at Wrigley in the late 60's. And I saw the Illinois-NU game in 2010. During the Bears games, they went from home to left field. And a temporary stands was put up in right field to boost the capacity to 45K. The field was probably bigger then and pros weren't as concerned hitting a brick wall. One game I was able to sit on the field and could not believe the hit Butkus put on a running back for the Browns right in front of me. But the Bears were lousy then and it wasn't much fun going to see them lose. So I went to the 2010 game, which was home to right field with no temporary stands of course. It was a blast. The one-way direction was a bummer. But it was quite festive atmosphere, inside and outside the stadium. I don't know if Nebraska fans would appreciate such a venue, but i imagine a number of fans from Nebraska visit Wrigley in the summer months. Of course the facilities at Ryan Field and Soldier Field are much better (like bathrooms), but the Wrigley venue is for the fun of it, the novelty. But if done should be shared with other Big 10 teams too. I doubt it will happen soon due to the NCAA safety rules and a one way goal is just not acceptable. At least Ryan Field is packed into a neighborhood like Wrigley is.

Anyone recommend one over the other? Looks like they both have stops right by the stadium. What are people doing Saturday before the game? Tailgating or downtown bar or Evanston bar? Everyone i've talked to on NW boards have said to take the L trains around, and it's also cheaper, metra charges by distance, i'm just getting an all day pass for L trains for $5.75, like my above post we are going downtown first and going to nike town, then game, then getting deep dish pizza somewhere, then wrigley, then home. The Metra trains are a lot nicer than the L train, but less frequent. They have a weekend pass for about $7.00, that covers Saturday and Sunday, but weekend schedules esp Sunday are very limited and make every stop. Also, if there is a Metra ticket office open at a station (like Ogilvie Center downtonw) and you don't buy your ticket there, there is a $2 surcharge to pay the conductor on the train. With the L trains you have to make a transfer at Howard street (coming from downtown Chgo) on the red line to the Purple line in Evanston. One advice on the L trains is don't flash around your Iphone or Ipad, guard it carefully, there have been some thefts of those but rare. The L trains/bus pass will get you around easier and more frequent. The Kirkwood Bar is near Wrigleyville stop (Addison), but a closer stop is either Wellington or Diversey on the Brown line. The Northwestern campus has a nice lakefront walk too, a beach on the north and a beach on the south, the shuttle buses at the stadium can take you down Sheridan road to the campus to available parking. There are closer "L" stations near the campus, such as the Noyes street stop.

Yeah we in Chicaguh speak like dis:

Don't worry about Northwestern. Easy win for Nebraska. Rest your best players and save them for Michigan. Just show up.

Yes Ryan Field is on Central Ave, and the L train is a few blocks to the east on Central Ave, on the Purple Line (The CTA, http://www.transitchicago.com/ ) , where you transfer get off/get on at Howard St, for the Red Line if coming from/going to downtown Chgo. Just FYI, the Red Line has stops for Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field. For the Metra commuter Train, which costs more and is more infrequent, but nicer ride, is a few blocks to the west on Central Ave(Union Pacific-North Line). That stops to the west of the http://metrarail.com...ra/en/home.html ) Chicago River to the Olgilvie Transportation Center downtown. I have a feeling the Huskers Nation will travel better to Evanston than Badger Nation. In both cases, we will see a sea of red that will match or exceed the sea of purple. And Nebraska will be "more" ready this time. If you have time and the weather is decent for strolling, check out the beach on the north and south end of campus (which is a mile and a half away from the stadium). a couple buddies of mine are going up...we are going to go up WITHOUT tickets...i assume that will be fine? do you guys have a lot of scalpers for gamedays? Also where would you recommend we stay for a hotel. We want to use the trains definitely because they are fun to ride, we won't be doing much attractions, just some good eating places and the game. so just a short 2 day trip, but we don't know if it would be better to stay downtown or closer to campus... For that being by far the premier game of the season, I don't know. My experience when I took the "L" train there were people soliciting tickets right from the train all the way to the stadium, but that was 10+ years ago and an "ordinary" opponent. I never know if those are genuine or not. Stubhub has tickets posted and they may or may not get cheaper closer to game time but know they are fee happy. As far as where to stay, people usually go downtown to see and experience stuff, like Michigan Ave area, it will hotels cost more but with split across friends would help. You would probably need a car for motels near the campus because not many in Evanston. If you get an CTA pass for the "L" and buses (about $6/day) you could make some stops along the Red Line. Along the way downtown is the Wrigleyville area, on the Addison stop. Just south of Wrigleyville there on Oakdale (either can walk there about a mile or get back on Addison station, get off at Belmont, transfer to the Brown line, get off at Wellington, or maybe a CTA bus instead) is the Kirkwood Bar, the official headquarters for Nebraska football in Chgo (http://www.kirkwoodbar.com/). (Actually, not far from there is Wisconsin's hangout, Northwoods Inn http://willsnorthwoodsinn.shutterfly.com/) From there the Brown line/Red Line can take you downtown. Visiting Michigan Avenue going north to south, maybe Chicago avenue (red line) is a good stop.

Yes Ryan Field is on Central Ave, and the L train is a few blocks to the east on Central Ave, on the Purple Line (The CTA, http://www.transitchicago.com/ ) , where you transfer get off/get on at Howard St, for the Red Line if coming from/going to downtown Chgo. Just FYI, the Red Line has stops for Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field. For the Metra commuter Train, which costs more and is more infrequent, but nicer ride, is a few blocks to the west on Central Ave(Union Pacific-North Line). That stops to the west of the http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home.html ) Chicago River to the Olgilvie Transportation Center downtown. I have a feeling the Huskers Nation will travel better to Evanston than Badger Nation. In both cases, we will see a sea of red that will match or exceed the sea of purple. And Nebraska will be "more" ready this time. If you have time and the weather is decent for strolling, check out the beach on the north and south end of campus (which is a mile and a half away from the stadium).

We will do our best to best MSU. Yes, the Northwestern win over Nebraska in Lincoln was the signature victory. Northwestern has managed to stun Iowa the last few years, and I'm sure beating Nebraska next year will be much harder. It was redemption for the 2000 Alamo bowl slaughter. I hope to see a lot of fans from Nebraska in Evanston next year Oct 20, 2012, enjoy the campus beach/sailboats and maybe a convenient trip to Wrigleyville or downtown on the L train. I hope Nebraska beats Iowa soundly and represents the Big 10 well in whatever bowl game they end up at.

Yeah beat Michigan State in Evanston!

Is this for sure? According to Scout, he got offers from Northwestern, Air Force, Akron, Arizona State, Colorado, Stanford, Wyoming --> but not Nebraska (but scout could be wrong). Maybe the best thing is to ask Kain, But Northwestern rarely gets four / five star recruits, and it's up to a coach like Fitzgerald to get the most out of who does come. http://northwestern.scout.com/a.z?s=179&p=8&c=1&nid=4183288