Away games
The recent topic regarding whether people had attended all home and away games in a season got me thinking. I don't get back to Michigan all that often anymore but I will be attending the game at Indiana this year. How good/friendly is UM tailgating at opposing venues, and is anyone else going to be at the Indiana game?
and it's my birthday!
I will be going to IU as well. I have been to Bloomington 5 or 6 times and I have never had any issues with Hoosier fans-heck half of the stadium is usually maize and blue. The lots surrounding Memorial Stadium make nice tailgate sites.
For the most part, fans are fine across the B10. Purdue and Northwestern are good spots as well (once again-UM fans take over their stadium). Columbus is the exception of course-and I have had some issues at Penn State and Illinois (no problems there for afternoon games but the night games brought out the worse in them).
I don't think you'll have to worry too much about Indiana fans. They don't show up in grooves. The pictures they use most for aerial shots of the stadium are when they host Ohio State. It's one of the few times the stadium will be full of red.
but I'm planning to be at the Indiana game this year. I'm desperately hoping it's not a noon (or, worse, 11am) game, though, because I have to be here Friday night for the local high school football game. If it is an early game, I'm not going to be getting much sleep.
fans were cool a few years ago in Champaign.
I wish I could go to the Indiana game because I have relatives that live very close to the stadium but I'll be at Purdue. Hope the fans aren't too bad there so none try my patience.
I was there back in 2006. The worst thing Indiana fans (students) could come up with was "Nerds!!!!" and "OSU is gonna beat you!" Not that intimidating. By the late 1st half we had a GO...BLUE!!! cheer going across their stadium (over the field). The tailgating was nice, too. No problems with IU fans, plenty of Michigan fans, and lots of room to tailgate in. The only problem would come from mud if it rains a lot that week, since the area we were in was all grass.
EDIT: I was also at Northwestern in 2007, and they were ok for the most part, but we did run into a few assholes, which was odd since they're Northwestern. The best was walking back from the stadium after the game (a come-from-behind win which Northwestern's offense lovingly gifted to us in the form of a few turnovers) and a very drunk older Northwetern fan (early 50s maybe?) yelled "All the Michigan fans can go home and touch themselves!" while standing in front of a house next to a lemonade stand where two little kids were selling water and lemonade to fans. It was so classy. However, the Ryan Field staff and the Evanston police get major cradit for allowing Hot Dog Man to do his thing without intervening. They just watched and laughed and let him go back to his seat to watch the second half.
IU is the most non-confrontational place I've seen a Michigan away game. That said there were still a fair amount of "Fuck Michigan" signs in people's front lawns. But then again we are Michigan and it was 1997 so I would be jealous too.