Feb. 11--In 2012, Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas made the idea of giving up a home game in Champaign to play Northwestern in Chicago sound ludicrous.
"Our home game against Northwestern still would be played in Champaign," Thomas said then. "(Northwestern athletic director) Jimmy (Phillips) is a smart guy, but I don't think he'll get our Champaign game to Chicago."
Thomas doesn't think like that anymore. Maybe he should.
He met with media at Soldier Field on Tuesday, detailing a deal that would place the Illini in their rival's backyard in 2015, 2017 and 2019, basically putting themselves on equal "home" footing with Northwestern for those three years.
"I reserve the right to be more experienced today than I was yesterday," Thomas said.
Thomas was right the first time around.
Northwestern stands to gain as much, if not more, than Illinois from having games at Soldier Field.
Instead of making a nearly three-hour bus trip, coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats could take the CTA if they wanted. Home-field advantage is called that for a reason.
Of course, Illinois fans will be quick to point out the Wildcats lost last season's game to Illinois at Ryan Field in Evanston. Illinois also trumped Northwestern at Wrigley Field in a 2010 game.
Who's to say that's not going to happen again?
Like any game away from the comforts of home, the chances of winning decrease.
Just look at Illinois' 5-2 record at Memorial Stadium last year. Of their six regular-season losses, four were away from Champaign.
The move is certainly a savvy marketing push and creates a marquee-game atmosphere that fans -- and television -- certainly enjoy. The benefits, Thomas correctly noted, are the chance to make a deeper footprint with Illinois fans and about 142,300 alumni in the Chicago area and to bring in more revenue. (Northwestern has roughly 74,000 alumni in the area.)
Though the Illini stand to generate nearly $1 million more in revenue than if the game was at Memorial Stadium, the scoreboard will determine the ultimate cost to the football program.
The Illini likely will have the larger fan base than Northwestern at Soldier Field games, and even more than if the game was in Memorial Stadium.
The Nov. 28, 2015 game is the regular-season finale while students are on Thanksgiving break. But nobody believes that Illinois students who live in the Chicago area will go from sparsely showing up at Memorial Stadium to packing Soldier Field.
Yes, there is a big-picture element of enlivening a fan base that has grown increasingly pessimistic over the years. But shouldn't the best question be: What gives the team the best chance to win?
Illinois' last game at Soldier Field was a 34-24 loss to Washington in 2013.
"Despite not walking off the field as winners, I've never been part of a game on the losing end where I had so much positive feedback," Thomas said.
So imagine the love letters that would follow more victories at Memorial Stadium.
A victory against Northwestern at Soldier Field? Sure, it would be "a giggle," to steal a phrase Beckman has used.
With the Illini likely having the larger fan base at the stadium, they could use the games as a tool in the turf-wars of Chicago recruiting.
"We know our Illini faithful will come out," Thomas said. "Even though it's in Soldier Field it will be an advantage for us."
But if the Illini lose? Fans will question why the Illini would sacrifice a Memorial Stadium game intentionally to play a "home game" that in essence is really on the road.
Beckman, Thomas said, thought the deal was a "no-brainer." But it's hard to imagine any coaching staff overjoyed at the thought of adding another trip to the schedule, whether that's Beckman and his assistants or his potential replacement in upcoming years.
It does take a certain about of chutzpah to schedule a game in your opponent's territory, especially one that uses "Chicago's Big Ten team" as a slogan.
Thomas said the deal could help fan the rivalry but this wasn't a jab at the Wildcats.
And Northwestern certainly doesn't sound offended.
"I'm really happy for our players," Fitzgerald told the Tribune on Monday when Illinois announced the deal. "This means they'll be in Chicago over the Thanksgiving weekend for the next six years. I'm also ecstatic for our fans."
Illinois fans will enjoy watching their team play in a historic venue.
But they should realize it's a risky move.
Realistically, for a struggling program like that of Illinois, isn't this all about winning games rather than providing scrapbook memories for fans and players? Victory on the field is sweeter than a lucrative marketing push.
sryan@tribpub.com
