The Sports Fan Project

When I earmarked the annual Michigan-Ohio State football rivarly – known simply as, “The Game” – for attendance in Michigan Stadium on November 29, 2026, I knew I might be living dangerously in terms of seeing the host Wolverines win a fifth consecutive in the series.

A year earlier, my friend Wayne and I had watched on a phone the improbable conclusion of unranked Michigan’s 13-10 upset victory over the sixth-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, from the upper deck of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium in advance of that afternoon’s Iron Bowl (Event No. 10 on the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.).

Anyhow about that living dangerously thing.

Michigan had not won more than four in a row in this rivarly (which dates to 1897) since it won six in row from 1922-27.

Ohio State was also rolling, having won all 11 games this season and 15 straight in total dating back to the 2024 FBS Playoffs. Only one of those wins was decided by a touchdown or less (the 14-7 season-opening victory against Texas).

So, when I say that winter was coming to Ann Arbor that day, I’m not merely referencing the lurking snow storm that would ultimately cover the playing surface and put down a few inches of fresh powder by Sunday morning.

All the Shows

Prior to embarking on the Around the World project, my recent attendance at college football games had been next to non-existent. So it should come as no surprise that I’d not experienced either ESPN’s famed “College GameDay” nor FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff.”

Both happened to be in Ann Arbor for The Game.

After visiting both, my friend Rob commented that one seemed more akin to a fraternity tailgate while the other hosted by your grandparents.

I’ll let you guess which was which;-)

In fairness, we weren’t there for the start of either show and didn’t spend an appreciable amount of time hanging around.

ESPN’s is, of course, the established brand, debuting its on-location show in 1993. FOX entered the fray in 2019 and, certainly, seems to skew toward a younger audience.

Both were enjoyable to witness in person. The ubiquitous GameDay bus was, of course, present but, alas, no Lee Corso image on the side as the 90-year-old retired earlier this season. Meanwhile, across the way, the FOX Sports football robot was on display and Rob Gronkowski was making a cameo on the Saturday show (perhaps because his main man, Tom Brady, was in attendance for the game?)

^{Clockwise from upper left, the throng of people surrounding the Big Noon Kickoff set at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School; one of the FOXBots; the Washington State Cougars’ flag (aka Ol’ Crimson) flying at its 313th consecutive GameDay; who let the fella in between Reece and Coach?; the fella in the beanie is Rob Gronkowski; I’m partial to GameDay so I had no trouble hoisting a sign for the show.}

Tailgating with an Old Buddy

Before Rob and I made our way to the television sets, we stopped by and saw a buddy from my days working at The Ann Arbor News.

Prior to his youngest son’s wedding on the west coast the weekend of Michigan’s 2025 home-opener against New Mexico, Paul Dodd’s streak of attending UM home games rivaled that of Ol’ Crimson flying over GameDay. He’d not missed a Wolverines’ home game since 1991!

His usual tailgate spot got displaced this season due to construction so he found an alternative spot sharing a backyard in a neighborhood not too far from Michigan Stadium.

While I covered the University of Michigan hockey beat for the News, Paul was doing the same for UM’s in-house magazine, The Wolverine. We enjoyed plenty of good hockey, overly nitrated hot dogs, and lots of laughs in the pressbox at Yost Ice Arena through the years, so I made it a point to – finally – accept his weekly Facebook invitation to swing by his tailgate.

A bottle of water and a famous Washtenaw Dairy doughnut hit the spot as did catching up with Paul and meeting his eldest son James.

The Outcome

It went about the way I expected.

Michigan was scrappy for much of the first half, but then the top-ranked Buckeyes’ exerted their will and ended the No. 15 Wolverines’ winning streak in this series at four games. The final score, 27-9, was probably an accurate reflection of how the game went for both teams.

What was unexpected – to me at least – was the volume of OSU fans in Michigan Stadium.

I realize this is one of those regional rivalries and a game that’s traditionally played over Thanksgiving weekend, so there will always be visiting fans making their way into enemy territory. That said, there was a lot of scarlet and grey visible throughout Michigan Stadium’s announced crowd of 111,373.

Other Observations

^{Clockwise from top left, a recent star at UM, Aidan Hutchinson is featured prominently along the concourse; unfortunately our seats were on the opposite sideline of the camera to be able to fully recongize the intricate images the Michigan Marching Band created during its halftime performance; the captains meet at midfield for the coin flip; the two most-recent football national championships are afforded prime location in the concourse; though never elected President, UM remains loyal to its former offensive lineman and POTUS; if it’s a big game then there must be a flyover; the UM team buses outside the Bo Schembechler Football Building wait to take the team across campus; note the police officers’ helmets; our seat view as the snow continued fall during the second half.}

A major college game day Saturday experience is much, much more, than simply rolling up and watching a football game.

As noted above, Rob and I were hanging with over 110,000 others which, technically, made Michigan Stadium the seventh largest city in the state for a few hours.

With that, there is a sea of activity all over not only the stadium and surroundings, but also the entire community.

For a noon game like this, traffic builds from as early as 8:30-9 a.m. as it did for us commuting in. We missed out on the recommended street parking several Ann Arbor lifers had suggested, so we settled for a paid spot about a half mile from the Stadium for the not offensive price of $30.

From there, Rob and I visited Paul’s tailgate and then roamed around much of the U-M athletic complex people watching. We saw the Wolverines’ team busses getting ready to load in and shuttle the team across campus to the stadium. Fun observation there, the motorcycle police officers’ helmets looked like Michigan’s unique football helmet design.

As we made our way toward historic Ferry Field (Jessie Owens once had a day there, setting or equalling four World Records in under 2 hours back in 1935!) where ESPN’s College GameDay was set up we checked out Yost Ice Arena and Ray Fisher Stadium. From there it was through a sea of paid on-campus tailgates, past the UM drum lines, up and around Michigan Stadium before we made our way to Pioneer High School where FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff was situated.

And when I say there were throngs of people every step of the way, I do not exaggerate.

Once inside the Stadium, we took a lap on the concourse which is, to say, under the vast majority of the structure. (Michigan Stadium is a bowl where the lion’s share of the seating is, actually, below ground.) Prior to massive expansions and renovations through the years, folks who were unfamiliar with where they were could drive by the Stadium and never realize the largest (by capacity) football stadium in the United States was outside their car window.)

As this was my first time back in the Stadium for a game since 1995, I enjoyed seeing some of the additions that had been made; mainly signage for National Championships and All-Americans and/or players earning UM honors.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note the marching bands.

In many ways, the marching bands are what distinguish college football from its professional brethren.

It was no surprise, really, that the OSU band traveled for a rivalry game such as this (I saw the bands from Mississippi State and Auburn travel to their rival stadiums a year ago) and I’m happy it did. Although I saw the OSU band up close at the 2025 Rose Bowl, watching it form script O-h-i-o and then having a sousaphone player dot the “I” is one of the this game’s – and college football’s more widely – traditions that I hope everyone reading this can experience one day.

For “The Game,” The Ohio State University Marching Band (aka The Best Damn Band in the Land) split into two regiments to create a pair of script Ohios facing both the east and west sidelines. Following the OSU festivities, the Michigan Marching Band performed a salute to the holidays with a variety of holiday-themed songs and plenty of inflatibles on the field … not to mention some unique creations with the MMB members.

Postscript

Of the 111,000 of us in Michigan Stadium that Saturday, I’m uncertain what percentage of us knew what was going to occur 11 days and a few miles down the road in Saline, MI.

Of course, that was December 10 and Michigan’s head football coach Sherrone Moore was, first, fired for allegedly having an improper relationship with a staff member and, second, was arrested following an altercation at said staff member’s home in the nearby community of Saline.

Moore was later charged with felonious third-degree home invasion and two misdemeanors: stalking in a domestic relationship, and breaking and entering. He was in court again just this week for an evidentiary hearing that was suddenly canceled following a plea deal reached by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office and Moore. He pled no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges: “malicious use of a telecommunication device in a domestic relationship” and “trespassing” in exchange for the three other charges being dropped. Sentencing is scheduled for April 14.

Michigan hired Kyle Whittingham, formerly head coach at the University of Utah, on December 26 to replace Moore.