Ryan Field, Evanston
Kickoff time makes little difference at Ryan Field: scores run 87 to 89
Home of Northwestern · Big Ten · capacity 47,130 · Grass
- 87all Saturdays, Mixed
- 97thof 167 stadiums
87 is Mixed, and most stadiums score higher.
How the rank works
All 167 stadiums with eight seasons of regular-season Saturdays are ranked by their weather score across every kickoff time, highest first; 1st is the most pleasant. A season can swing a score by 2 to 3 points, so allowing for year-to-year noise (about two chances in three) it ranks between 65th and 129th.
Show a month
All Saturdays
- noon: 89, Mixed
- 3:30 pm: 87, Mixed
- 7:30 pm: 87, Mixed
Weather score at each kickoff time.
September
In September at Ryan Field, a 7:30 pm Saturday scores 97 and a noon or 3:30 pm Saturday 90.
- noon: 90, Comfortable
- 3:30 pm: 90, Comfortable
- 7:30 pm: 97, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
October
In October, kickoff time makes little difference in these Saturdays at Ryan Field: scores run 90 to 93, all Comfortable.
- noon: 93, Comfortable
- 3:30 pm: 91, Comfortable
- 7:30 pm: 90, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
November
In November at Ryan Field, a noon Saturday scores 84 and a 7:30 pm Saturday 74.
- noon: 84, Mixed
- 3:30 pm: 80, Mixed
- 7:30 pm: 74, Rough
Weather score at each kickoff time.
At kickoff, regular-season Saturdays, 2018 to 2025: 113 at noon, 114 at 3:30 pm, 114 at 7:30 pm.
All Saturdays
Little difference by kickoff time. Noon 89, 3:30 pm 87, 7:30 pm 87.
September
Best kickoff time: 7:30 pm (97). Roughest kickoff time: noon and 3:30 pm (90 and 90).
October
Little difference by kickoff time. Noon 93, 3:30 pm 91, 7:30 pm 90.
November
Best kickoff time: noon (84). Roughest kickoff time: 7:30 pm (74).
The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.
What goes with it
Share of Saturdays here that feel this way over the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff.
All Saturdays
Feel under 32°F
September
Feel 85°F or hotter
October
At every kickoff time, fewer than 5 in 100 of October Saturdays here feel 85°F or hotter, and fewer than 5 in 100 feel under 32°F.
November
Feel under 32°F
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Across all Saturdays, Ryan Field scores higher than 7 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums
All Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 96, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 94, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 92, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 92, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 91, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 90, Comfortable
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 90, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 89, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 87, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 86, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 86, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 85, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 85, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 84, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Ryan Field scores 87, higher than 7, lower than 9 and level with 1 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 84 to 96.
Noon Saturdays
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 97, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 94, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 93, Comfortable
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 93, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 93, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 92, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 90, Comfortable
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 89, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 89, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 89, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 88, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 88, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 87, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 87, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 86, Mixed
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 84, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Ryan Field scores 89, higher than 8, lower than 7 and level with 2 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 84 to 97.
3:30 pm Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 97, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 94, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 91, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 90, Comfortable
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 90, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 90, Comfortable
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 89, Mixed
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 87, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 86, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 86, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 86, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 85, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 84, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 84, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 83, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 82, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Ryan Field scores 87, higher than 9, lower than 7 and level with 1 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 82 to 97.
7:30 pm Saturdays
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (USC): 100, Ideal
- Rose Bowl (UCLA): 98, Comfortable
- SECU Stadium (Maryland): 93, Comfortable
- Husky Stadium (Washington): 92, Comfortable
- Autzen Stadium (Oregon): 91, Comfortable
- Memorial Stadium (Indiana): 90, Comfortable
- Ohio Stadium (Ohio State): 90, Comfortable
- SHI Stadium (Rutgers): 89, Mixed
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State): 88, Mixed
- Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue): 88, Mixed
- Ryan Field (Northwestern): 87, Mixed
- Kinnick Stadium (Iowa): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Illinois): 86, Mixed
- Memorial Stadium (Nebraska): 86, Mixed
- Spartan Stadium (Michigan State): 85, Mixed
- Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin): 84, Mixed
- Michigan Stadium (Michigan): 84, Mixed
- Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 83, Mixed
Tap a dot to read the stadium.
Ryan Field scores 87, higher than 7, lower than 10 of the other 17 Big Ten stadiums. Scores run 83 to 100.
One dot per stadium: 18 Big Ten stadiums. Every Big Ten stadium by month.
More about Ryan Field
Rebuilt for 2026 at only 35,000 seats, a block off Lake Michigan -- the smallest, closest bowl in the Big Ten.
- The roughest game played hereIllinois at Northwestern, Dec. 12, 2020: feels like 30°F, weather score 67 (Rough). Cold took off the most points.
- This weekRutgers at Northwestern, Saturday, Oct. 24, 12:00 pm ET.
- Kickoff timesHow games here landed among each Saturday’s kickoff times.
- NetworksHow kickoff times and TV networks line up.
- Rivalry weatherIllinois vs Northwestern (Land of Lincoln Trophy): the two home stadiums side by side.
The table behind this page
| Season | Noon | 3:30 pm | 7:30 pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Saturdays | 89 | 87 | 87 |
| September | 90 | 90 | 97 |
| October | 93 | 91 | 90 |
| November | 84 | 80 | 74 |
| Saturdays counted | 113 | 114 | 114 |
How this is measured
The score covers the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff, averaged over every regular-season Saturday from late August to early December, 2018 to 2025, using the nearest airport’s readings, not the stands. Shade, delays and smoke are not in it. Scores within about 2 points are effectively tied. It describes what these Saturdays were like. It is not a forecast and it says nothing about home advantage.
Weather observations: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet at Iowa State University. Weather score version 2.2.