The first ever BYU football game in the state of Illinois will not come in DeKalb.
According to releases from the schools, the upcoming Oct. 24 game between the Cougars and Northern Illinois will now be played at SeatGeek Stadium. The venue is in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview and just over a dozen miles from the Windy City’s downtown.
“Over the years, we have brought Huskie Football to our alumni and supporters in Chicagoland by playing games at Soldier Field and at Guaranteed Rate Field,” NIU athletic director Sean Frazier said in a statement. “In 2020, we’re excited to play a storied program like BYU in a new location for us, SeatGeek Stadium, and look forward to filling the venue with Huskie fans for this Saturday game in October.”
The game is the second-half of what was originally a home-and-home. The first meeting happened back in 2018 and resulted in an ugly Huskies win in Provo. Having a large fan base like BYU’s coming East though, it seems like moving the venue to the Chicago area could pay off for both programs in terms of access.
The game will also double as SeatGeek Stadium’s first college football contest. Normally known as the home of local soccer franchises Chicago Red Stars and Chicago Fire, the venue normally seats between 20,000 and 28,000. Huskie Stadium, the original host, has a capacity of just over 23,000 for NIU home games.
