Road trip to Chicago advice needed

I am going to be making a roadtrip to and from Chicago in October from Alberta with a buddy of mine, and we're trying to hit as many sports events as we can along the way -- for example the Bears game on the 24th against the Redskins, and try to hit the Wild, Bucks, Bulls, Blackhawks, etc depending on their schedules. However, on the 23rd we want to get to a college football game, and with the Bears game the next day the only stipulation would be that it needs to be within a day's drive west of Chicago. I have no real allegences in the Midwest as far as colleges go (I was raised a Texas A&M fan) neither does my friend, we just want to hit the best game day experience, especially as far as tailgating is concerned.
I've checked out some schedules and I know some schools like Illinois and Northwestern are having their homecomings that weekend, but I also know Minnesota is hosting Penn State I believe, and NIU is also home to one of the directional Michigan schools I think.
Any reccomendations -- even if it is not one of the above mentioned schools, those were just the first ones that came to mind?
I figured this would be the place to go for advice on such things.
The other option is to catch a college game on the way back the following Saturday (Washington? Montana? Idaho? etc.).

Thanks in advance all.

 

Since you have so many possibilities on your plate, to start, I would suggest getting a calendar and writing down every single game for the local teams/schools for that week or two. Then, once you get that down, you can plan your arrival/leaving and get your driving options situated.

Also, obviously have a lot of money and I would suggest using StubHub frequently as you can print your tickets right away, great for last minute maneuvering.

 

http://bigten-online.com/2010footballschedule.html

Just a quick check shows Wisconsin is at Iowa that day. Might be worth checking out ...

(Also, Texas A&M is at Kansas, but that might be pushing a "day's drive" from Chicago).

 

Oh I will be doing all of that, I am just trying to figure out best game day atmosphere for a college football game within a day's drive of Chicago. Figured those on the board who have covered college ball in the area or gone to those schools would be able to chime in.

We are giving our selves plenty of time to meander to Chicago so we can hit the places we want to. With the NBA and NHL calendars not being released for another couple months, I can at least get to work on getting this much figured out now.

 

I would love to go to that A&M game, but that might be pushing it a little bit. Is game day at Iowa -- tailgating, band, crowd, etc. -- pretty good? so far that would probably be the best of the actual games that I have seen schedules for.

 

Homecoming at Illinois is your best bet--two hours south of Chicago, an easy drive, great great college town. Northwestern is beautiful, a mere half hour from Chicago, but not the same college atmosphere. No need to go any further....Iowa is a 4 hour boring drive.

 

Don't go out of your way to see Minnesota Golden Gopher football.

 

I've never been to a Big Ten football game, so I wouldn't really know. Based on reputation, I'd probably go out of my way to see a game at Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and maybe Wisconsin, but that's about it.

 

Too bad it would not be a nice weather weekend in the summer when the Cubs were in town. I fell in love with that city when I caught one weekend like that last year.

 

I'd say stop by Mad town if the Badgers are playing. That's a great city. If Northwestern is playing you can also grab a party bus from downtown Chicago to Evanston. It's a great time.

I wouldn't bother with NIU vs. Directional Michigan. Of course, the tickets will probably be five dollars.

 

Wisconsin is completely worth it. The city is awesome.

I've been told Iowa is pretty great as well but I've never been there. They are great tailgaters at IU but the football sucks. Also, MSU can be a good venue when the team is good. I saw them play No. 5 Wisconsin a few years back and the place was louder than I've seen the Big House sometimes.

 

You didn't get a great draw from the schedulemakers, though it could
have been worse.

Illini hosts Indiana -- yuk.

Ohio State hosts Purdue -- boring mismatch, on paper.

Minnesota hosts Penn State -- possibilities, but could turn out to be a stinker.


Now . . .

Northwestern hosts Michigan State . . . it IS homecoming, and these two
typically play competitive, high-scoring games when they're reasonably
matched, based on their respective material. It WILL start at 11 AM.

Still believe that the most festive, competitive combination of the weekend will likely be Wisky at Iowa. Problem there . . . you're in Iowa.