This fall has brought very warm weather to much of the country and I was very thankful that this Early October football trip featured a night game and an indoor game. The destinations were Columbus to see Ohio State and Indianapolis for the Colts. The combined final score was 82-9, but that in no way took away anything from the trip as the stadium experiences were fantastic.
Ohio State getting the 7:30 PM NBC slot meant I could save money on a hotel night if I was willing to spend a long time in the car (I was). My alarm went off at 5:30 AM as I left New Jersey to reach Akron, OH and meet my brother (who left from Rochester, NY). We grabbed lunch, left my car in an undisclosed location and continued a couple more hours to Columbus. My plan was to park for the game 3.5 hours before kickoff so that we could experience everything on Buckeye gameday. Even that wasn’t enough time as campus was full of activities…way more than I’ve seen in 18 other FBS Stadium visits.
After navigating very busy High Street to reach our parking area, we walked to the South Oval, where they had inflatables, interactive games and several large screens showing other football games. There were also a ton of tables and chairs for what looked like a private event. After a closer look, I saw that anybody was going up to these tents that were serving food. Real food. City Barbeque was serving trays of delicious ‘Que and sides and cookies and drinks! Holy cow, I had no idea, so we just walked up and made ourselves a dinner, grabbed a seat and watched football. From there, we stopped at the Union for some air conditioning and the school’s acapella group performing. We then trekked deeper into campus for the official FanFest at Remembrance Park before heading into Skull Session at St. John Arena. That is where the band puts on a final rehearsal. A good tradition and the building was packed, but the lack of AC and the length of the show close to when gates open to the stadium meant we cut out early. The whole pregame experience is impressively overwhelming at Ohio State only because I’m the person that wants to explore everything. Next time I’m in Columbus I plan on seeing more of OSU’s campus.
Gametime was 7:30 PM and I was able to get in well ahead of time to check out everything inside and out. I love the history of this stadium and it is pronounced in many areas. On the outside, it’s the arches, the artistic rotunda and the Victory Bell in the southeast tower. Inside, you have the horseshoe shape and good sightlines for a double-decker stadium. Now of course, since it sits 102,323 prepare to be scrunched and there is little room for maneuvering. Enough so that I don’t remember anyone going in or out of our row way up in Section 9C. By the way, holy crap is that a hike from the concourse opening. I was winded after reaching Row 32. Once settled with my free soda (DD program), I was good to go 30 minutes before kickoff for the pregame show and The Best Damn Band in The Land lived up to expectations. Watching script O-H-I-O play out was a bucket list moment I won’t forget. In the game, Minnesota scored first and then the vaunted Ohio State defense wouldn’t let them move the ball again. They held the Gophers to just 170 total yards and won handily 42-3. The bells rang across campus and we made the 30(!) minute walk back to our car on a beautiful night. Even the scary tight side streets and crazed college kids running around couldn’t put a damper on this one. For much more on the entire Ohio Stadium experience, click here.
Sleep was minimal that night because we made the 2 hour and 45 minute drive to Indianapolis for a Colts game. It’s my second time in the Circle City and it’s a place I enjoy fondly. They have a great downtown (one reason why many championships are held here) and Lucas Oil Stadium is a walk from that and other attractions. Where as we opened up the wallets for Ohio State, the Colts experience was remarkably affordable. Everything was booked in late summer and the garage we choose at Capital Commons was just $22 and a 10-minute walk away from the stadium. Our tickets were only $47 and even with the Colts at 3-1, the get-in price was still under $50. They have a great fan base and solid atmosphere, so it’s not like a cheap ticket at a Jacksonville or Tennessee. Lucas Oil is a fantastic stadium, one of only six (out of 277) to have a review score over 80 points. The exterior is beautiful, with an industrial and Indiana high school fieldhouse nod. Inside, the windows are a nice touch and it’s a comfortable stadium that is easy to navigate. Indy destroyed the Raiders 40-6 and that gave the fans plenty of time to get loud. They were and the enclosed nature of the stadium meant noise levels exceeded what I heard at OSU the day before. It’s not a crazed place though and while fans are passionate, but tepid in some areas (I was asked to sit down when I stood to see better as others stood in front of me). For the full Lucas Oil Stadium review, click here.
Other Random thoughts:
- Seeing Raider fans in their best “Black Hole” attire was entertaining to say the least. It was cool that I saw several obliging photo requests, even from a concessions stand worker
- Ashton Jeanty played for Boise State last year and I saw at least a few dozen fans in the blue and orange of Boise. I couldn’t figure out how and why so many from Idaho where there. Finally it dawned on me, the Broncos were playing Notre Dame the day before and South Bend is not far from Indy. That’s a great weekend trip, but too bad they didn’t get the desired result
- St. Elmo Steakhouse. I gotta get there for a dinner once in my life
- The Indy game being such a blowout meant plenty of people leaving early. My brother and I took advantage and during a mass exodus, we made it down to a few rows behind the endzone with 5 minutes to play. So cool to be close to field level at an NFL game.
- I’ve disliked Ohio State for as long as I can remember. Yet when you are at a game live and immersed in that team’s culture, it’s easy for the dislike to fade away (unless you are from TTUN). That was the case with the scarlet and gray as I couldn’t help myself be the “H” as the stadium bellowed out the letters of the team.
- OSU had free refill stations all around the concourses! That’s even better if you bring a water bottle in (try to put it in your pocket).
- While Script O-H-I-O and other traditions lived up to expectations, Hang On Sloopy at the end of the 3rd quarter was feeble. It sounded like the crowd was mumbling it and I’ve been to other sing alongs that are much better (Mr Brightside at BC and “Country Roads” at West Virginia to name a few)
- Drury Inn…don’t ever change. Consistently the best hotel brand to stay at. I love them and never any issues there
Stadium and Arena Visits 