Is There College Football At Soldier Field?

College football at Soldier Field saw the resurgence of the 2023 Chicago Football Classic. The event took place on the 2nd of September.

Central State University Marauders and Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils battled it out in front of a 21K audience, where the Marauders emerged victorious over the Delta Devils by 24-21.

The contest is a historical event between two black colleges and universities where the organizers award scholarships up to $250K. The initiative is to help African-American students attend college and get higher education.

The tradition has been in practice since 1997. It is the first classic in four years since 2019.

Hampton Pirates contested Howard Bison on September 15, 2019, where the Pirates won the fixture by 41-20.

Does Soldier Field Have College Football Games?

Soldier Field college football only accounted for the contest between Central State University Marauders and Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils.

Except for the 2023 Chicago Football Classic, other college football games are not scheduled for the year.

Likewise, the home Chicago Bears will host seven NFL fixtures in the 2023/24 season. The 1st October match will welcome the Denver Broncos for a 1 p.m. contest. It will air on CBS.

The remaining ties are:

  • Minnesota Vikings, 15th October
  • Las Vegas Raiders, 22nd October
  • Carolina Panthers, 9th November
  • Detroit Lions, 10th December
  • Arizona Cardinals, 24th December
  • Atlanta Falcons, 31st December

Notre Dame At Chicago Bears Stadium

Notre Dame game at Soldier Field was against the Wisconsin Badgers as a part of the Shamrock Series. The game was held on September 25, 2021.

They defeated the Badgers 41-13, with 31 points in the fourth quarter.

The term ‘Shamrock Series’ is designated to the one match of the year where the Fighting Irish forfeit their one home tie and play a marquee game in a neutral site.

They played their 2023 neutral location game on August 26, 2023, against the Navy Midshipmen at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Notre Dame won 42-3.

Soldier Field’s first football home team was Notre Dame in 1929. The first college football at the venue saw the Fighting Irish take on Northwestern Wildcats and win by 13-6 on November 22, 1929.

The 11-time National Champions are yet to be beaten at the Soldier Field. They have a 10-0-2 record at the location.

During the process, the football team has defeated great teams like the USC Trojans, Army Black Knights, Navy Midshipmen, and Miami Hurricanes.

Since 1930, they have been hosting teams at the Notre Dame Memorial Stadium.

Likewise, the 2023 season has started with four wins in the first four games for the team. Some of the most exciting fixtures in the upcoming days are:

  • vs. Ohio State Buckeyes, 23rd September
  • at Duke Blue Devils, 30th September
  • vs. USC Trojans, 14th October
  • at Clemson Tigers, 4th November

Is Illinois Football Playing In The Bears Field?

Illinois game at Soldier Field last occurred on September 15, 2018. They played against the South Florida Bulls and lost the game by 25-19.

It was a disappointing campaign for the Illinois Fighting Illini as they were 4-8 in overall record and 2-7 in Big Ten. They finished the year with three losses to Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Northwestern Wildcats.

Other fixtures comprising Illinois at the Soldier Field are as follows:

  • vs. Northwestern Wildcats, 24-14 (loss)
  • vs. Washington Huskies, 34-24 (loss)

The three games played by the school at the location have all resulted in a loss. The football program has played at the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois since 1923.

Chicago Bears called it their home for the 2002 season when their actual home ground was facing maintenance work.

College Football In NFL Stadiums

College football teams that play in NFL stadiums are Pittsburgh Panthers, UNLV Rebels, Miami Hurricanes, Temple Owls, and South Florida Bulls.

Stadium Name Teams
Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV Rebels
Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers
Hard Rock Stadium Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes
Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia Eagles and Temple Owls
Raymond James Stadium Tampa Bay Buccaneers and South Florida Bulls

Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure

The Panthers play at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the home stadium of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Acrisure was previously known as the Heinz Field from 2001 to 2021. After the H. J. Heinz naming rights contract expired in 2022, Acrisure purchased the right, and hence we got the present name.

Its current capacity is 68,400. Since 2009, the venue has deployed Kentucky bluegrass on the playing surface.

The Rebels Play At Allegiant Stadium

UNLV Rebels played for forty-nine years (1971 to 2019) at the Sam Boyd Stadium before shifting to the newly built Allegiant Stadium in 2020.

It serves as the home for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Las Vegas Bowls and the Vegas Kickoff Classic are some of the popular events organized at the venue since 2021.

It was built at a budget of $1.9 billion and can allow 65K spectators to enjoy the game. It can be expanded to allow 6,183 (71,835) fans to witness the football matchups.

The Hurricanes And The Dolphins Have The Same Home Turf

Hard Rock Stadium opened its business on August 16, 1987. It has hosted SB XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV, and LIV, along with the 2021 CFP National Championship.

Miami Dolphins has made it their home since its inauguration. The Miami Hurricanes joined hands in 2008 for a 25-year contract to let them make it their home turf till the 2033 season.

For a brief period from 2001 to 2002, the Florida Atlantic Owls played here.

The Owls And The Eagles Dwell At Lincoln Field

The Lincoln Field opened on August 3, 2003, and since then, served as the home ground for the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple Owls.

Constructed at $512 million, it serves as the venue for Army-Navy matches. Till today, it has organized fourteen games between the rivals. The most recent game was played on 11th December 2022, where the Army won 20-17 in two overtimes.

Raymond James Is The Home Of The Bulls And The Buccs

South Florida Bulls and Tampa Bay Buccaneers had hosted their home games at the Raymond James Stadium since 1998 when the stadium was inaugurated.

The last Super Bowl held at this location was SB LV, where the home team defeated the Chiefs 31-9. Before that, it hosted SB XLIII and SB XXXV.

The venue has a seating capacity of 69,218, which can be expanded to 75K. The largest crowd experienced (74,512) by the venue was in 2017 for the CFP National Championship match between Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Sharing Stadiums In NCAA Football

College football share stadium like Raymond James, Allegiant, Acrisure, Lincoln Financial Field, and Hard Rock Stadium with NFL franchises.

The normalization of having one stadium as the home of NFL and NCAA teams dates back to the 1960s.

The National Football League franchises Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play at the SoFi stadium, while the New York Giants and New York Jets share the MetLife Stadium.

Such a case of sharing between two NCAA football programs has not been known.

Apart from the above-mentioned venues, various locations were previously shared by NFL and NCAA teams. They are given below:

  • Gillette Stadium: New England Patriots (2002-present) and UMass Minutemen (2012-16 and 2018)
  • Georgia Dome: Atlanta Falcons (1992-2016) and Georgia State Panthers (2010-16)
  • San Diego Stadium / Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego Chargers (1967-2016) and San Diego State Aztecs (1967-2019)
  • Tampa Stadium: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19767-97), Tampa Spartans (1967-74), and South Florida Bulls (1997)
  • Veteran Stadium: Philadelphia Eagles (1971-2002) and Temple Owls (1978-2002)
  • Three Rivers Stadium: Pittsburgh Steelers (1970-2000) and Pittsburgh Panthers (2000)
  • Memorial Stadium: Chicago Bears (2002), and Illinois Fighting Illini (1923-present)
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