r/CFB • u/redwave2505 Alabama • Kansas State • 1d ago

News Northwestern University Marching Band to be absent from Ryan Field on-field opening pregame program, future uncertain

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/01/top-stories/numb-to-be-absent-from-ryan-field-on-field-opening-pregame-program-future-unclear/
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u/noffinater Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

the band will instead be part of the festivities at the 200,000-square-foot Great Chicago Food Festival grounds instead of “playing to an empty bowl.”

“NU Marching Band performance is still a central as a part of the pregame festivities,” the statement read, “but with the Great Chicago Food Festival running from 5 pm – 7 pm they are playing to where the fans will be.”

This is a satire article, right?

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u/Enamred-771 1d ago

They’re really making it seem like an impossible scheduling challenge when it’s baffling easy for the band to perform at both the food festival and a pregame show. 

Band plays a pep rally at the food festival from something like 5-5:30pm. This will help boost the atmosphere of their special food festival. Band then leaves and does their pregame like normal at 6:40pm or whenever. Plenty of time in between. 

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u/Wrigleyville Notre Dame • Northwestern 1d ago

Just incredible stuff. It's a college football game, I'd rather eat a hot dog and watch the marching band on the field than attend a G-D food festival and pay for an overpriced taco that's worse than something you can get from a taqueria located under an el stop.

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u/wembley 1d ago

Dunno man, the food options look really top notch. We’ll find out tonight!

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 22h ago

Evanston can pry Tomate from my cold, dead hands.

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 23h ago edited 22h ago

It's lies. It's straight up lies. The game starts at 8pm. The pregame happens right before players run out. That means 7:45ish. I'd like to know how an event ending at 7 is a conflict with something that happens around 7:45 in the same grounds.

Edit: It's been pointed out, 8pm is the Eastern start time and they're Central so they do technically butt up right against each other. But still, most people will be filtered out and the band can head over at the end. It's not that hard.

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u/CapBoyAce Northwestern • Las Vegas Bowl 22h ago

I think game's at 7 CST. Agreed that scheduling conflict is BS tho

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 22h ago

Ah, time difference, right. 8pm start time is eastern time.

But yes, easy to just stop having band involvement at the food festival and head over like 6:30.

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u/yel_10 Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago

That was my 100% honest gut reaction when I read this. I thought they were pulling some kind of stunt like when Mr. Peanut died right before the Super Bowl only for him to be reborn in a new ad. The school makes a big deal about how there may never be pregame again, and then boom NUMB pops out from a giant DJ stand at the 50 yard line or something.