Iowa, Northwestern to play at Wrigley Field in November

For the second time in three years, there will be football at Wrigley Field. Northwestern and Iowa will face off at the Friendly Confines in November, the programs announced Tuesday.

The game is part of an agreement between Northwestern and the Chicago Cubs to play games at the Friendly Confines. The Wildcats played Purdue at Wrigley in 2021.

Football isn’t new to Wrigley Field. The Chicago Bears played their home games there from 1921-70, and Northwestern played Illinois in the first college football game at the iconic stadium in 2010.

Iowa is coming off an 8-5 campaign in 2021 which saw plenty of struggles on offense. The Hawkeyes got to work trying to fix those problems, though, notably landing former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All in the transfer portal.

Northwestern, meanwhile, struggled mightily last season. After beating Nebraska in Ireland in Week 0, the Wildcats finished the year with a 1-11 record.

Iowa amends Brian Ferentz contract, adds unique incentives

Changes are being made with offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. However, they are most likely changes Iowa fans will not be a fan of. Ferentz will receive a different contract than usual for the Hawkeyes, with a more incentive based deal being made.

Iowa made the deal official on Monday, although the contract went into effect on Feb. 1. Expectations for the Hawkeyes offense must not be high internally, with Ferentz having a low bar to meet offensively during the 2023 season.

“The contract amendments include a salary of $850,000, effective Feb. 1, 2023,” a statement from the school said said. “The Designated Performance Objectives for the 2023 season include an average of at least 25 points per game and a minimum of seven wins, including regular season and a possible bowl game.”

If Iowa gets to seven wins and averages at least 25 points per game, a bonus will be thrown in the direction of Ferentz. He will also get back a rolling two-year agreement with the program, seemingly having a one-year prove it deal for the fall.

All-in-all, Ferentz has a $50,000 pay cut but will have the opportunity to earn it all back, plus some.