[jacketree]

I was an undergrad in the crucible of Southern Football (and that is capitalized!), even if our team sucked half the time. Road trips were simply a part of the experience. One went to every home game and as many road games as one could afford (time and money - money being more important). So after hitting any number of college stadiums in the back seat of a Greyhound Bus rolling down Highway 41 (Atlanta, Athens, Gainesville, Knoxville, Charlottesville, Auburn, Birmingham [for the upset of the millennium - my first college game as a student], Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Chapel Thrill, New Orleans, etc.) I just assumed you bought student tickets (although they were free at GT - $10 for an annual date pass) and went to games.  I even worried they would run out.  (Ha ha)

I gravitated to a group of engineering students also from ACC/SEC land (with one dude from Villanova who now is a Real Admiral in the Navy and runs the Seabees). We went to games like real football fans. It was different. Not quite used to beach balls, people watching in lieu of foaming at the mouth football watchin', and the game not being more important than life itself. (Although the importance of football games at 1-10, 6-5, 3-8, 6-4-1 GT was somewhere below grades, girls and grilled cheese.) Not to mention open containers of alcohol rather than flasks of bourbon hidden somewhere on your date.  Still, had a blast. I think the best game was when Rice actually beat Texas and word spread to the two Rice alumnae we hung with at games. I think Stanford probably lost that day (as they did most days) but the after party was awesome that night.

You do hold on to your UG allegiance. Half the point of going to Stanford games was to hear scores from across the country announced (no smart phone to check) and give your buddies a hard time about it. Or vice versa.  Strangely, we didn't know anyone from Slippery Rock.

[jacketree]

I was an undergrad in the crucible of Southern Football (and that is capitalized!), even if our team sucked half the time. Road trips were simply a part of the experience. One went to every home game and as many road games as one could afford (time and money - money being more important). So after hitting any number of college stadiums in the back seat of a Greyhound Bus rolling down Highway 41 (Atlanta, Athens, Gainesville, Knoxville, Charlottesville, Auburn, Birmingham [for the upset of the millennium - my first college game as a student], Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Chapel Thrill, New Orleans, etc.) I just assumed you bought student tickets (although they were free at GT - $10 for an annual date pass) and went to games.  I even worried they would run out.  (Ha ha)

I gravitated to a group of engineering students also from ACC/SEC land (with one dude from Villanova who now is a Real Admiral in the Navy and runs the Seabees). We went to games like real football fans. It was different. Not quite used to beach balls, people watching in lieu of foaming at the mouth football watchin', and the game not being more important than life itself. (Although the importance of football games at 1-10, 6-5, 3-8, 6-4-1 GT was somewhere below grades, girls and grilled cheese.) Not to mention open containers of alcohol rather than flasks of bourbon hidden somewhere on your date.  Still, had a blast. I think the best game was when Rice actually beat Texas and word spread to the two Rice alumnae we hung with at games. I think Stanford probably lost that day (as they did most days) but the after party was awesome that night.

You do hold on to your UG allegiance. Half the point of going to Stanford games was to hear scores from across the country announced (no smart phone to check) and give your buddies a hard time about it. Or vice versa.  Strangely, we didn't know anyone from Slippery Rock.