The Northwestern Wildcats are set to welcome fans into their new stadium in October, but the venue could have been built elsewhere.The Wildcats will host Penn State in their brand-new $862m Ryan Field on Saturday, October 2nd.Construction on the new Ryan Field began in 2024GettyAt that cost, it’s the most expensive college football stadium ever constructed, but it’s also the smallest in the Big Ten with a 35,000 capacity.The stadium, and sports district, could have ended up on the site of the iconic Buffalo Joe’s in Evanston, if one man hadn’t stepped in.How Wildcats football almost ended up in the heart of EvanstonSince 1874, Northwestern’s athletic grounds had been situated on main campus east of Sheridan Road.By 1902, it became clear that their on-campus football ground, named Sheppard Field, was insufficient to host their biggest games.NU’s business manager Robert Sheppard found a site in the heart of Evanston, north of Sherman Avenue.Northwestern owned or controlled all of the property in question in 1902, and in the late nineteenth century, owned roughly a third of downtown Evanston.The idea caught on with the school’s administration, and in December 1902 NU announced that it planned to proceed with Sheppard’s plans for a Sherman Avenue stadium.Plans were delayed by the holidays, and in early 1903, an alternate site found by William Dyche. That replaced Sheppard’s plan.The stadium opened in 1926, and the initial Sheppard site would eventually turn into a Buffalo Joe’s, which has been open since 1983.The new stadium, named after Pat Ryan who is a trustee at Northwestern, was almost entirely financed by the family who donated $480m to the construction.Ryan Field will make it’s debut when the Wildcats host Penn State on October 2Instagram / newryanfieldRyan, who is a trustee at Northwestern, almost entirely financed the stadiumInstagram / newryanfieldThe Ryan family are also minority owners of the NFL‘s Chicago Bears and hold a stake in the English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth.The 2,000-capacity student section at Ryan Field — called the Purple Wall — has taken shape. It uses the same architectural innovation as the $2 billion Intuit Dome.Chicago’s Big Ten team had little to shout about last season, as the Wildcats posted a 4-8 record that saw them finish in the bottom three of the Big Ten standings.The Wildcats have struggled to find on-field success as of late, winning 16 games in total over the last four seasons, and if you take out 2023’s 8-5 record, that leaves just 8 wins in three seasons.Despite a tight 29-23 loss to the Hoosiers on Friday, they have made a better start to 2026, with a 2-1 record.Northwestern’s loss to Indiana on Friday dropped them to 2-1GettyNU took down San Diego State, and Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes before losing to the defending National Champions in Bloomington.For David Braun’s squad, turning a state-of-the-art, $862 million venue into a true Big Ten home-field advantage remains the priority.Northwestern will need to translate their upgraded surroundings into consistent conference wins if the new Ryan Field is to write a triumphant chapter in Evanston sports history.Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows. On Tuesdays Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays Efe Obada joins the crew to talk with players past and present and break down what to look for across the league