Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Cubs officials hoping to lure college football to Wrigley Field bowl

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Chicago’s college football team went to New York City for a cold weather bowl game this year and had a memorable close to its season.

In future years, Chicago might be hosting other teams’ final hurrahs.

Teddy Greenstein of the Tribune is reporting the Cubs are very interested in hosting their own bowl game starting after 2020 along the same lines of the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, which Northwestern played in this year.

There are fall renovations scheduled for each of the next few season after the Chicago Cubs seasons, but Cubs President Crane Kenney told Greenstein that Wrigley wants in on the action.

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He said Northwestern home games would be the first priority for Wrigley, but that the Cubs would also be “absolutely” interested in hosting a bowl game.

One of the major hurdles is field configuration, as a 2010 game at Wrigley Field between Northwestern and Illinois had teams going into the same end zone throughout the game because the walls were too close to the action, officials decided.

Those problems should be solved by 2018, as the dugouts are scheduled to be moved closer to the foul poles next offseason, according to the Tribune. In addition, no bowls will be added until at least 2019.

It’s too early to tell which conferences could have tie-ins to such a game, although the article states Chicago as driving distance for Big Ten schools and a few from the Big 12 or SEC (think Missouri or Kentucky).

Chicago SportsNEWS
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