Should Iowa Football Explore Games at Soldier Field if the Bears Depart?

This is no slight to Northwestern, but in terms of Big Ten cities, the Chicago market may be more aligned with the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers, or the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish can lay claim to Chicago as well, but the whole conference thing throws a wrench into that.

This is all to say that there lies a new opportunity in one of the United States' largest markets. It is an opportunity for a Big Ten team to expand its geographic footprint, so why not the Iowa Hawkeyes? They recruit from Chicago already and could expand that prowess.

Should Iowa play one game annually at Soldier Field once the Bears leave town for Hammond, Indiana?

Chicago has the Iowa alumni and support

Herky cheers with Iowa Hawkeyes fans during a football game against the Albany Great Danes Aug. 30, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you wander around Chicago on a fall Saturday, the city is a melting pot of college football fandoms, but the Iowa Hawkeyes are always well-represented. Per the Chicago Iowa Club, the Chicagoland area is home to more than 30,000 alumni.

That is a monster number for a city that is more than three hours from the campus of Iowa.

Then again, it makes sense. Minneapolis is almost five hours from Iowa City. St. Louis is over four hours away. Kansas City is four and a half hours away. Chicago is the mega-market closest to Iowa in proximity.

The fanbase is already in place, and those in the Chicago suburbs with families are the ones to cater to here.

Like Iowa basketball playing Creighton in Des Moines to expand the footprint, this would be similar, but on a much bigger scale. It provides access to so many more fans.

The city is beaming with Iowa support. The Chicago Iowa Club lists nine different bars and restaurants in Chicago and its suburbs for watch parties. Put a game at Soldier Field, and the Chicago support will turn out, plus your Iowa natives will undoubtedly make the trek to support the Hawkeyes.

The practicality of Iowa playing at Soldier Field

Oct 28, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Bears logo is seen prior to a game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Is it realistic? With neutral sites becoming more and more common across college football, it's probably fair to say that any location could make sense. You have Wisconsin and Notre Dame playing in Lambeau Field this upcoming season.

The big question is whether Iowa gives up a game at Kinnick Stadium to make this happen. That is a huge ask for Iowa's revenue and the fanbase. Could Iowa retain its normal home games and turn a road game into a neutral site? What about alternating every year as the home team and road team in Soldier Field?

The opponent would matter as well. The Cy-Hawk isn't moving to Chicago. Nebraska and Iowa aren't moving the Black Friday rivalry. And good luck moving trophy games between Wisconsin or Minnesota.

What about a game against a team like Purdue? Or Illinois? Or Michigan State? Maybe even Indiana? Now this game suits two fan bases with a neutral-site game in a huge city within driving distance for all parties.

This is all hypothesizing, and the legwork required would be monstrous, but the location, the support, and the stadium are all sitting there waiting. It's 2026 in college football. Pipe dreams are no longer as unrealistic as they used to be.

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