A Day Before The Game, The NCAA Figures Out That Wrigley Is A Death Trap For Football

It's, oh, 27 hours until Illinois and Northwestern kick off. But they'll be kicking off in one direction, every time, because one end zone goes right up against the brick and ivy walls. Tomorrow's going to look like backyard football.

One thinks they should have been able to plan for this, considering the measurements of a football field haven't changed in the months since the game was announced. Or maybe knowing on paper that the unforgiving brick would be a foot beyond the East end zone is totally different than actually seeing that photo and the potential for injuries lawsuits.

So they've made some rule changes, and they're, well, kind of a joke. All kickoffs will be to the East, so bonus points if you can hit the wall on the fly. All offensive possessions will head toward the West end zone. That means, if there's a fumble recovery or an interception, both teams will pack up and move to the other end of the field to make sure the drives aren't going East. To avoid one team having their bench on the action half of the field the whole game, they'll actually switch at halftime. (They flipped a coin to decide who gets it first.)

And then, if the game goes to overtime, each team will receive a possession from the opponent's 25-yard-line.

Oh wait, that last bit's "normal."

NCAA Implements Rules Changes for NU vs Illinois [NBC Chicago]