Experience the game at Michigan Stadium

Here's how you feel when you play The Game between Ohio State and Michigan live.

In the fourth quarter at Ann Arbor, unwanted guests from the South took advantage 31-20. The state of Ohio took the ball and Michigan no longer has time, and the faithful of Buckeye began to celebrate. Tens of thousands of fans in the state of Ohio began the famous "O-H-I-O" song around the Big House, which took so much momentum that it could be heard on national television.

I was one of those scarlet and gray fans shouting "O!" When our section finished. The tradition is incredible when it is heard in the horseshoe, but it is even more incredible when it is heard in the stadium of your toughest rival.

It was the 13th week of the inaugural year of Road to CFB, and I had never dreamed of finishing the year watching my favorite team play in one of the rivalries. the most historic in the world of sport. Tickets to Ohio State-Michigan usually start at $ 200 and only go up very high from there. To be in person at this game, I had to take a big risk.

The game

No. 7 Ohio State 31, Michigan 20 (25 November 2017)

Instead of attending my family's Thanksgiving dinner (traditionally held on Saturday), I went with my best friend to Ann Arbor. We had no tickets and we were sure we would watch The Game from an Ohio bar on TV. The plan was to try to negotiate tickets with local scalpers – a daunting task for ticket traders for the first time.

Traditionally, the game starts at noon local time, which requires an arrival at least at 8 o'clock; for many tailgaters, it means 8 hours the day before. During the next four hours, I would negotiate and buy a ticket for the match. Inside, the pre-game group's performance is passed, then the announcement of the teams, then the kickoff. In our last effort to get tickets, the scalper was desperate and sold us tickets for half of their face value. As soon as the notes hit our hands, we rushed inside to find our seats.

The game was not a disappointment. Michigan quickly took the lead, eliciting the enthusiasm of Wolverine fans. Up to 14-0, things were spoiling for a Buckeye team ranked 7th in the country and looking for another place in the playoffs. Things seemed even worse when star quarterback J. T. Barrett left the game with an ankle injury, leaving freshman Dewayne Haskins to save the Ohio State season. Some notable shots and Haskins brought Ohio State back into the game. 112,000 fans were completely crazy about the competitiveness of the latest game of rivalry.

Up to 24-20, running back Mike Weber escaped for 25 yards in the end zone and sent a dagger to the heart of the state of Michigan. 80,000 fans completely silent, disappointed and incredulous. A game that seemed to be going in the direction of the Wolverines has turned into a sixth consecutive defeat.

Atmosphere

Walking in the tunnel up to the main bowl is like entering another world. That day, more than 112,000 spectators stormed the Michigan Stadium in winter gear, making the space much more crowded than usual. Stairs and islands were nonexistent, and getting down to the 30th rank was like trying to cross the traffic at rush hour. Although our tickets were marked for seats one and two, we settled in seats 10 and 11 due to lack of space.

Despite temperatures near freezing, the Michigan student section was decked with bright yellow tees. The student crowd contained tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans and extended to the northwestern quarter of the stadium and invaded the surrounding areas. Thanks to the incredibly dense crowd, the temperatures in the stadium stabilized and the energy of the match kept us warm.

For the next 60 minutes of football, we were up. Sitting was not an option.

This game meant something and everyone knew it.

Rivalry

To fully understand the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, just look back at the previous meeting in 2016 as The Game went into overtime for the first time in 119 years of history. The Ohio stadium had a capacity of 5,000 spectators and when wide catcher Curtis Samuel scored the decisive touchdown, the stadium exploded. The noise could have been measured on the Richter scale. Ohio, number 2, has secured a playoff spot and Michigan, No. 3, has been eliminated from first place. It also gave my father and me a good explanation as to why we were coming to Thanksgiving an hour late.

The game was held for the first time in 1867, when the Wolverines, dominant national, cleared the Buckeyes 34-0. Although Michigan has always won more victories (58-49-6), Ohio State has dominated the last 17 years, winning 15 victories. A lot of these games were played with both teams in the top 10, and had serious implications for the national championships. 10 Heisman Trophy winners won the title for this rivalry and the teams combined 19 national championships. Many consider this to be the most intense rivalry in all sports.

tailgating

At Michigan Stadium, there is a dense tail in all directions around the stadium. The parking lot of the local Pioneer High School in the southwest is home to hundreds of RV parks and snow guards. To the north, rich subscribers and donors hold their parties. Further away are the Greek house parties, where students are brimming with small lawns and old houses.

Directly south of the stadium presents the most popular and unique scene in the world. Thousands of Wolverine fans have settled on the Ann Arbor Golf & Outing Club course, which stretches for nearly one kilometer. At a normal match day, spokesmen would offer food and drinks to opposition supporters strolling.

But it's not a normal match day.

Instead, I met cold shoulders and occasional comments about the scarlet O block on my baseball cap. Although I did not receive the best welcome in a stadium, I was expecting a much more hostile environment.

lore

Michigan has some of the most iconic traditions of college football. Before each game, the Wolverines invade the field from the 50 meter tunnel to the sound of "Hail to the Victors". Above them is the GO BLUE banner given by the U.M. Undergraduate club in which each player jumps and taps. The team also traditionally wears its antique corn helmets with winged corn stripe.

The GO BLUE banner, M CLUB SUPPORTS YOU, has been in use for almost 50 years and has become one of the most recognizable traditions of university football. The design of the Michigan winged football helmet has been around since 1938, when Herbert Crisler, then director of sports, brought him from Princeton, where he coached it. Ironically, the Ohio State was one of the first teams to use the earphones as early as 1934.

Far from the hustle and bustle of pre-game festivities, dozens of buses have arrived at the home of lucky fans at the north end of the stadium. The big chartered buses landed Urban Meyer and his talented troops at Ann Arbor in a chorus of whistles, fools and jeers. Among the ranks are Barrett, a Heisman contender for his last regular season game with Ohio State, first round draft pick Denzel Ward and fans' favorites Sam Hubbard and Nick Bosa.

Some time later, buses from the blue city arrived to transport the local team, led by the charismatic Jim Harbaugh. With the kind permission of the university, the Wolverines choose to arrive in less sumptuous means of transport than their average college football program. The most passionate fans of Wolverine were there to greet the dynamic Wolverine backfield of Chris Evans, Karan Higdon and Ty Isaac.

Stadium

The Michigan Stadium is located on an Ann Arbor Hill that overlooks the campus. The massive maize "M" monitors all students and can be seen for miles. Inside, the 107,000 seats are grouped in a huge bowl painted in blue. Everyone is overshadowed by large newsrooms and suites and overlooks a remarkably well maintained natural turf field. The distant stands have an "M" painted corn block just above the Wolverines tunnel on the 50-meter line.

That day, you would not know what color the stands are and if there is a corn block painted in "M" corn on the distant stands. The only thing we saw during the match was 112,000 fans in coats and hats waiting anxiously to watch the next chapter in the story.

The big house opened in 1927 and was already a colossal structure. It opened with 72,000 seats and exceeded the 100,000 seat mark in 1956. The number of seats reached its peak between 2010 and 2015, reaching 109,901 people, but was reduced to 107,601 during the last renovations carried out in 2015. Since 1956, stadium capacity has always ended in "-01", according to rumors, which would have been the seat of Michigan Sports Director, although this has never been confirmed.

Local summary

Where to eat: Blimpy Burger by Krazy Jim

• If you have a legendary appetite, this is the place for you. Dozens of records and challenges are written on the walls, ranging from 12 hamburgers eaten in just 30 minutes to a toddler finishing a small fries in one sitting. Anyway, the atmosphere of a small restaurant is comfortable and the hamburgers are grilled to perfection.

A must see:

• Vault of Midnight – A comic strip and pop culture store with a lot of character. Find everything from Marvel comics from the 60s to the latest issue of Batman. Go downstairs to find the classics.
• Downtown – All the best restaurants, shops and bars are between State Street and Main Street in Ann Arbor. You can find everything from Irish pubs to craft stores at M Den (Michigan's best loot shop in the city).
• UM Campus – Historic, magnificent, grandiose. These are all words that describe the campus of the University of Michigan. Catch him after the construction of the student union and you will see one of the best campuses in the country.

What to wear: Navy blue, corn if you are sitting in the student section. Something hot after September.

• The Great Lakes region can become brutally cold after September. Ann Arbor is less than 50 miles from Lake Erie and some of Michigan Stadium's most iconic games include brutal temperatures and snow. But do not cover your blue and corn. Do not be afraid to play sports with the opposing team, as Wolverine fans are usually kind and helpful even to fans of the Ohio State – a rarity in the sport.

Where to raise: Ann Arbor Golf Course on the south side of the campus.

• Thousands of cars and trucks find their place on the golf course south of the stadium. The tailgating starts at dawn or earlier, depending on the time of the sending shot and the opponent. Be ready to walk, though.

3 ways to improve:

• Although iconic, the giant bowl layout severely inhibits the onlookers from the background and almost eliminates them from the game.
• The shape of the stadium does not generate direct noise in the crowd and the place is not extremely noisy.
• That's all. Small complaints, this place is amazing.

The best

• 110,000 people at the same place, it's amazing. The size of this place is amazing.
• The tradition is historic and rich. One of the richest places in the country's traditions.
• Ann Arbor is an amazing university town. There is so much to do and eat. Amazing city.

Follow the path of the BFC on Instagram @roadtocfb. Michigan vs Ohio State 2018 is available on FOX November 24 at noon ET.