Michigan-Ohio State was one of those games that I circled at the beginning of the season as a likely Gameday game. Not only does the Big 10 always seem to come down to the winner of this game, but Kirk Herbstreit wouldn't allow the show to go anywhere else. I looked forward to this as an opportunity to not only see the Michigan Campus, but absorb the rivalry game firsthand from inside The Big House.
I flew into Detroit on Friday and took care of the usual errands - picking up a rental car, checking into my hotel, and buying the necessary supplies. I got up at 5:30 AM on Saturday knowing that the set would be packed. Sure enough, I got there before 7:00 to find myself deep in the line. They were also being Nazis about signs and poles, so I had to set up behind the bleachers around the set. Regardless, I was still able to get a decent amount of TV time, so that part of the trip was a success.
My next challenge was to find a cheap ticket to the game. I saw lots of hands raised, so I was really nervous about getting one. After negotiating with a couple of scalpers, I eventually worked a guy down to $150 and bought the ticket. I got inside the stadium midway through the first quarter because anytime you have over 100,000 people going to the same place, you're not going to go anywhere fast.
The stadium was not quite what I expected. The structure isn't nearly as big as the SEC stadiums I have seen. Instead of upper decks, luxury boxes, and concourses, it was one solid mass of people. The seats were so small that I couldn't fit in mine without turning (and I'm 5'6", 155). Despite that and the weather, it was a great experience going to that game.
One difference I noticed is the respect those two fan bases have for their bands. For the SEC schools (with the exception of LSU), the band is just there to make noise. No one really cheers for their band at halftime or marches behind them on the way to the stadium before the game. I was a little disappointed that the OSU band didn't "Dot the I" at halftime, but I guess that's reserved for home games.
The game itself was quite boring with Michigan unable to do anything on offense. You can blame some of that on the weather (35 deg and rainy), but several of the passes that Mario Manningham dropped were inexcusable. While I always prefer Michigan in this rivalry, I also knew that it would help my cause for Ohio State to finish the regular season with one loss. More one-loss teams means more controversy and website hits. Now, where am I going next week?
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Nov 10 - Williamstown, MA
On Monday, I was making all of the arrangements. With Gameday in Athens for the Auburn-Georgia game, I could bring lots of friends up from Atlanta for the show. But they weren't announcing it on Georgia's Athletics page for some reason. I finally found the answer on a message board that evening: they're going to the Williams-Amherst game!
Since I had just traveled to Oregon the weekend before, I wasn't really up for going to New England. However, I found some cheap airfare that got me back to Baton Rouge by Saturday night, so I decided to go for it. One of the things this trip allowed me to do was set foot in Vermont and New Hampshire for the first time. I especially enjoyed my 30 seconds in New Hampshire.
The drive over to the game was beautiful. Williamstown resides in a valley in the Berkshire Mountains. The peak of the fall colors had passed, but there were still plenty of leaves left on the trees. They also got a dusting of snow in the mountains the night before. Just picture a postcard from Vermont and that's pretty much what you get.
The town was about what I expected: older houses, a main street, sidewalks, and the college campus in the center. I parked and walked into the stadium area only to have my pole confiscated. If you have seen the sign on TV, you know that it's like clipping my wings. Fortunately, the fans didn't crowd the stage the way they do at other campuses, so I was able to get a good position. With my job done, I was able to enjoy a little more scenery before I headed out of town.
Since I had just traveled to Oregon the weekend before, I wasn't really up for going to New England. However, I found some cheap airfare that got me back to Baton Rouge by Saturday night, so I decided to go for it. One of the things this trip allowed me to do was set foot in Vermont and New Hampshire for the first time. I especially enjoyed my 30 seconds in New Hampshire.
The drive over to the game was beautiful. Williamstown resides in a valley in the Berkshire Mountains. The peak of the fall colors had passed, but there were still plenty of leaves left on the trees. They also got a dusting of snow in the mountains the night before. Just picture a postcard from Vermont and that's pretty much what you get.
The town was about what I expected: older houses, a main street, sidewalks, and the college campus in the center. I parked and walked into the stadium area only to have my pole confiscated. If you have seen the sign on TV, you know that it's like clipping my wings. Fortunately, the fans didn't crowd the stage the way they do at other campuses, so I was able to get a good position. With my job done, I was able to enjoy a little more scenery before I headed out of town.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Nov 3 - Eugene, OR
I consider myself lucky to have had a pair of ESPN Gameday shows done right in my backyard in Baton Rouge. However, they also doubled up on one of the most distant campuses for me - Oregon. Since it's too far and expensive to bring someone else on the trip, I had to do both of them on my own.
The other downside to having Gameday in Oregon is the start time - 7 AM local. Since I was staying in Portland, I had to get up at 4 AM to drive down to Eugene. Even after doing that, I only arrived about 30 minutes before the show. That meant that I started 12-15 people deep in the crowd (although I later got up to about 3 deep). I still can't get over how many people have shown up before dawn for both of the shows - not just students, but fans in general. People in the SEC think of themselves as the most hardcore fans, but that certainly hasn't been my experience.
Now for the weather. As I drove down I-5, the temperature kept dropping and eventually reached 32 degrees. It was also raining most of the way down there, but it luckily subsided before I got out of the car. As many of you saw on Gameday, the fog was incredible. The stage was set up so that Autzen Stadium would be clearly visible in the background; however, it did not actually appear until late in the show due to the quarter-mile visibility.
I know a lot of this sounds like complaining, but I honestly had an excellent time in Eugene. The Ducks have certainly earned the right to be considered a top program (thanks in large part to Phil Knight).
The other downside to having Gameday in Oregon is the start time - 7 AM local. Since I was staying in Portland, I had to get up at 4 AM to drive down to Eugene. Even after doing that, I only arrived about 30 minutes before the show. That meant that I started 12-15 people deep in the crowd (although I later got up to about 3 deep). I still can't get over how many people have shown up before dawn for both of the shows - not just students, but fans in general. People in the SEC think of themselves as the most hardcore fans, but that certainly hasn't been my experience.
Now for the weather. As I drove down I-5, the temperature kept dropping and eventually reached 32 degrees. It was also raining most of the way down there, but it luckily subsided before I got out of the car. As many of you saw on Gameday, the fog was incredible. The stage was set up so that Autzen Stadium would be clearly visible in the background; however, it did not actually appear until late in the show due to the quarter-mile visibility.
I know a lot of this sounds like complaining, but I honestly had an excellent time in Eugene. The Ducks have certainly earned the right to be considered a top program (thanks in large part to Phil Knight).
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