OT:Offered tickets to Ohio game

Being a Michigan fan in Columbus is like being a driod in the mos eisley cantina.

I've been there several times for games. Just not worth it.

Save it and go to the bowl game.

It is the biggest game of the year and there could be a division title at stake. Then there is always the off chance of being able to sing The Victors in a quiet Ohio Stadium as the truck drivers file out with their Buckeye tails between their legs. Definitely something not to be missed. Plus I'll be there and I'd really like to see some blue in the stands.

I have a lot of PA friends and have been to last 2 games in State College.  I sported colors proudly, but was with friends from PA.  I got heckled in the parking lot and some guys were pretty bad coming out of the stadium.  But, at the bars and restaurants and in the stadium it was great.  But, watching UM teams lately is pretty frustrating.  This is no news flash, but it dapens your mood a bit when you make such an investment of time and money to see the game.  It's a bit easier to get over the poor play at home.  Anyways, my point is I am not going to another stadium when it requires such a trip until I am a little more confident the team will look good.  I'm not gonna sit there for 3 hours and be frustrated by the fact that they can't run the ball to save their lives.  I'd personally save myself the frustration.  If you do go, go for the experience and be happy with just hanging out with your friends and seeing a game...don't require a win to enjoy yourself.

Go, don't be a puss.

If I've learned anything in the last few years, it's to base my attendance--not on the questions of cost or product on the field, but--on the question of whether the stadium has WiFi. If they have it, then clearly you gotta go.

If the finances work, I would go. I always said I would never go to Columbus for The Game, but we are going this year. I want there to be as many UM fans there as possible for what will be the last regular-season game for some great Michigan Men.

Don't do it. I will never set foot in that stadium, let alone on the day M and Ohio play a football game. There are no fans on Earth worse than those of the buckeyes. On top of the shitty fans, you'll likely have to deal with them after M loses on that day, which makes it suck even more.

If they are going to bring 30K to Ann Arbor every other year, we need to start invading Columbus every other year as well.

As a guide: I would say opposing fan hostility broken down by section:

- Section AA: inner ring on the sidelines - Mainly older, more affluent fans, usually alumni base. These are the fans that students don't like because they sit on their hands and don't contribute to the environment, however, they won't give opposing and any trouble. Tickets are expensive though.

- Section A (along sidelines): probably the most potential for trouble. These are your general, non-student fan zones. I would say the majority will leave you alone, especially if you're with osu buddies, but a few bad fans will be persistent enough to make it seem like the hostility is more widespread.

- Section A/B: endzones- these are student seats for the most part, where people are unlikely to start trouble explicitly with opposing fans. If it's a noon game, it's usually more civil, but against UM the drinking usually stars earlier. This doesn't mean the students will be more hostile to you, but everyone has a short fuse with everyone else, and the student body (myself included) is more likely to get in fights with each other than with opposing fans. I was at the Penn State loss in 2011 and PSU fans were starting trouble after the game which led to some hostility, but if opposing fans don't get in the students' faces, I wouldn't expect much trouble.

- C deck: avoid c deck. This is a mix of students, non-alumni fans, alumni, and opposing fans. In my experience this is where you'd expect to deal with the most hostility. Kind of like the bleachers at a baseball game. Again though, if you have buddies from osu that have your back, I wouldn't expect much trouble, but you never know.

As far as tailgating, stay away from the parking lot until game time, and keep your friends close. I'd recommend going to the alumni bars, like Out-R-Inn or Varsity Club, where people are more civilized, or Woody's tavern on campus (where I work). At Woodys, the fans are usually students and alumni, and should there be trouble, Union security is always close by to diffuse issues.

I hope this helps, and if you make it out for the game I hope the experience is a good for you and your friends. I've been to every home game for the past 3 years, so I can answer any questions you might have on the status quo for attendance.

I think this is the point that tips it toward attending the game.  If you're going to be with OSU people, the physical confrontations will be fewer.  Of course there will always be heckling, but that's what a rivalry is all about.

I've attended several times with my OSU friend.  If your OSU friends are actually friends, they'll help to steer you away from the worst tailgates. 

I live in Columbus and I promise you that all of the horror stories about the treatment of Michigan fans down here is way overblown. I've been to games wearing Michigan gear and I wear it around town all the time. I never get threatened, spit on, etc. Just use common sense (i.e., don't pick fights) and I assure you that you'll be fine. The most you'll have to deal with is people yelling "fuck Michigan" at you, which, c'mon.

Separately, I really agree with the posters pointing out that we can't let ourselves, as fans, be intimidated and my show up for road games and support our team.

In sum, make your decision based on if you feel comfortable spending the cash, not because you are afraid of OSU fans.

I've gone down there twice, once in high school and once in college.  It was actually a cool stadium to see, and not a terrible campus.  Didn't experience any of the horrible incidents we hear about on here...but then again I was lucky and had nice tickets and parking pass, so my interactions were probably a bit more tame.  

I've been there twice and both experiences have been awful. The first time was two years ago for the Michigan Ohio game. I bought my dad 40 yard line seats for his 50th birthday. A gift which cost me close to a grand once it was all said and done. He's a big ohio state fan and I'm a big Michigan fan fyi.

That day was ridiculously cold but it didn't matter. Because we were about to watch the greatest rivalry of all of sports. We showed up to Columbus me with my maize and blue on and before the game it was relatively low key. Just a bunch of that stupid freaking "O-H..." Shit. Aesthetically the stadium is beautiful and I was excited to see inside it for the first time. Especially because of how awesome our seats were going to be. This excitement faded...fast.

We get to our seats and apparently it's in "b-deck" right behind the Michigan bench. It's under an awning. Okay. Cool. Here's the problem though. Our seats were the last row under this awning. Meaning our backs were up against concrete. Still...I'm okay with this. But if you think they cram people into Michigan stadium. It was nothing with how crowded this bench was. I LITERALLY could not sit. I couldn't even stand like a normal spectator could. I had to stand on top of the bench just so my dad could sit. Now here's what's really shitty about that. I'm standing on the bench but we're right at the apex of this awning. So I have to keep my head at a 90 degree angle FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE GAME.

NOT ONLY THAT but our view was partially (nearly completely) obstructed by the columns that we're supporting the awning up. So my view was in five-seven yard increments. Blocked for five to seven yards etc.

NOT ONLY THAT but because I'm standing. Because my head is at a 90 degree angle I cannot see either scoreboard.

NOT ONLY THAT but they had what looked like 22 inch video monitors about every 25 yards under the awning. Which. Even if it was big enough to see IT WAS ON A FIVE SECOND DELAY! So if a play happened. I might be able to see the handoff. Then the RB would run out of my field of view and then I had to wait for the fans reaction to see the outcome of the game. Fucking. Horrible.

BUT I had a great time with my dad regardless and I'm glad I got to spend the day with him.
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My next experience was last year. I went with my buddy to the OSU Wisconsin game. He had student tickets in the south end zone. (The one under the ginormous video screen across from the FREAKING HUGE AMERICAN FLAG). Climbing those steps was like climbing Mount Everest. Very steep and very shallow steps.

The sound board was right behind us and for all you spinal tap fans was turned up Wayyy past 11. So every time seven nation army was played (which was freaking all the time) it literally rattled my bones.

So sitting in the end zone is fine. You go into it expecting to see only one dimension of play. However. I was at a loss for the decision to put the GINORMOUSLY OBSTRUCTIVE FLAG POLE (f*ckin 'Merica you guys) in front of this teeny little video board behind it. So using that for any replays or any other view point was out of the question. So I watched a good portion of that game turned around to watch the 1000 ft video board behind me.

I could go on. But my heart can't take it this early in the morning.

Go blue. Fuck Ohio.

Growing up in Ohio I've seen games at the Horseshoe.  I also like seeing games at different schools to check out the atmosphere.  Columbus on a Saturday is an interesting experience to say the least.  I've never had a proglem there on a gameday dressed in Michigan gear.  I've always been with Ohio State fans though.  You'll get the typical idiot that calls you some derogatory name, but nothing too bad.  I agree with others that inside the stadium I never had any problems, which includes sitting in the student section in UM gear.

With that said, I also work in education and know how much a trip like this can impact finances.  When I plan a trip, or anything else that has a financial impact on our family, I always thing about opportunity cost.  What could I do with my kids with this money.  I usually choose to do something with the kids, but both my wife and I sometimes do fun things for ourselves as well.  I don't regret any trip I took or any that I passed up.

Whatever you decide, make the most of it, and you'll be happy with your decision.

If you have difficulty interacting with people in a public place, then you might not enjoy it. If you're a normal human being, go. It's a pretty good place to watch a game. 

It's still a no-brainer.

It's all relative. From the west coast you could get a $1000 plane ticket to Bangkok, and another $1000 would finance the best two week travel experience of your life there. For example.

When do you need to make the decision by?  While I've personally had poor experiences in Columbus in the past I do think road games in general are a lot of fun IF Michigan wins - not so much when they lose.  And I've heard the environment in Columbus is a lot better than it was 10 or so years ago when I was there. FWIW -  I've come your way three times for Rose Bowls (86, 97 & 04) and I can tell you the flight home is a very, very long one after a loss.

So if I was in your shoes I'd wait as long as I could to make the call to see how the team is shaping up before making the go-no go call.  If the team is performing as well as I think they should then they'll be 9-2 heading into that game with only one B1G loss and potentially playing for a shot at the B1G Championship game.  In that world I would DEFINITELY make the trip.  But if they stumble early and are out of it I'd probably advise saving your money and waiting a couple of years to go but that's just me.

Surveying those that say you should go to the game, I find it interesting the amount of qualifiers you need to rationalize the decision.

"Go, it will be a blast... but on the following conditions:
1. Don't wear michigan gear, but if you do, don't wear too much
2. Be sure to take a car that doesn't have michigan plates
3. Stay away from xyz places before and after the game
4. Be prepared to get verbally abuse potentially
5. Realize that piss is sterile
6. If we win, don't celebrate and get the fuck out of town ASAP
7. Be sure you have some OSU fans with you for protection
8. You might be punched, but whatevs
9. Don't bring your children
10. Etc etc etc"

Too me, that sounds like a miserable experience in the making.

If finances are truly an issue, absolutely don't go. Sure it'll be great if we win, but you still don't get your money back. And if we lose, well, it'll be a double gut punch. I went to Dallas for the Alabama game from Chicago ONLY bc money wasn't the issue. I STILL wish I didn't go. So much hassle and a pain in the ass for a decent time. I could've stayed in Chicago and enjoyed the day then hunkered down for the game with friends who didn't go to Dallas and still had a great time, for free basically.

I wouldn't do it.  Personally I don't find the stadium experience worth the money I spend on tickets alone and since it would be so expensive for you with airfare, ticket and hotel I certainly would not go.  

You could go on a nice family vacation rather than (most likely) see us lose to the buckeyes.  To me it's a no brainer.  

If I watch us play OSU in columbus its gonna be some year where I'm almost certain we will win.  

And support the Maize and Blue where they need it most.

I have no desire to go to Columbus. Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and go see the Penn State game that I refuse to call UTL III.