They were huge favorites in 2010 (10-1 vs 7-4, hadn't lost to us in 7 years and the last Columbus game was a slaughter) as well, not to mention both 2010 and 2014 everyone expected the Michigan coach to likely be fired at the end of the season, so I really don't see your point there. Either your friend had worse than average luck, or was overdramatic, or I had really good luck; I don't think the setup of The Game would cause a significant difference between those two years. Also, I'm assuming that happened to him at a tailgate; like I said, I didn't actually tailgate so I can't comment on that and maybe they are really bad.
I've been reading this blog for a while, but this is my first post (wooo!!!!)
Today was my first experience at Ohio State and although the game was a heartbreaker I'm very glad that we went.
A little background to precede some observations of mine:
We left Ann Arbor at 6:30AM and were parked at 9:40. There was no traffic, even the inside Columbus city limits, and the drive really didn't seem too long to me. We parked about a mile west of the stadium for $15 in their public parking. There were shuttles available, but the weather was pretty mild so I enjoyed the walk. My friend and I (both current Michigan students; I'm a junior, she's a senior) were 100% decked out in maize, and I even had a pom-pom. We didn't tailgate beforehand, but ate at a very nice, modern Panera Bread before the game and walked around a little bit, including the oval. We got in the stadium at 11:10 (at which point their student section was 5% full at best and most of the stadium empty) and sat in the middle of the C deck in the Northeast Corner that is typically designated for away fans (Section 8C). For comparision's sake, I have also attended Michigan games in South Bend and East Lansing.
Observations:
Ohio Stadium: It is pretty impressive. Feels a little bigger than The Big House initially, but I hate how there are so many stairs and it feels very enclosed and claustrophobic in the concourses. I still think our band's Pregame is far better than theirs(so slow paced, most OSU fans stop clapping by the time script ohio is almost finished because it takes so long), although they kill us at half time stuff. Plus, if you think we play too much "rawk music", OSU played WAYYYY more. (PS-stop complaining about it; it's great for the atmosphere in moderation and we students love it. As people who actually do all the band cheers, unlike 95% of alumni/general fans, Let's Go Blue and The Victors get old after the 4,000th time and occassionally kill the vibe)
Although we technically had "bad" seats, I could see very well no matter where the ball was. The one thing I will say about OSU's stadium that was awful (besides the incessant advertising) was its scoreboard. Small, not high quality resolution, oddly shaped, and confusing format for the Down, Yards to Go, etc. Obviously ND has no video boards, but both Spartan Stadium and the Big House have wayyyy better video setups. Also, their boxes don't look nearly as nice as ours, but I only saw from the outside. Finally, idk how on earth today was their attendance record because the top 15 rows of the C deck in the Northwest Corner never filled at any point during the game. Did notice a lot more police activity than in the Big House. Actually saw two Buckeye fans being kicked out of the stadium for harassing a group of 4 Michigan fans.
Ohio State Fans: I had heard horrible things, about how awful it was for Michigan fans in Columbus. Yes, on the aggregate, they were definitely meaner to us than ND and MSU fans. HOWEVER, at least between MSU and OSU fans, this increase in hostility was only marginal. It really wasn't that bad and Michigan fans have nothing to be scared of unless you are out of control or looking for trouble. We were pretty frequently heckled when we were in the Oval (center of campus), but nothing too bad (mostly, you look so ugly, what are you wearing, O-H, etc.). One guy did throw crumpled up paper garbage at me in the concourse during halftime, but he did it as we were walking by each other (he didn't say anything and kept moving) and it barely grazed my shoulder. Otherwise, during the entire walk from the parking lot to campus only a handful of mostly good humored "comments" were said to us. During the game, nobody said anything to us negatively even though we cheered VERY loudly whenever Michigan scored (sang the lyrics to The Victors and everything; there were probably 20 Michigan fans within 15 rows of me though). On the flip side, we had several very nice people. One walked over half a mile with us and we had a very pleasant conversation the whole time. We also talked to a nice couple during breakfast and the guy next to me at the game, although in Buckeye attire, told me he was rooting for Michigan/was a WVU fan and drunkenly sang what he knew of The Victors a few times. However, none of the nice people to us actually went to OSU; all were wearing scarlet and grey but had relatives who were "real" buckeyes.
Michigan Fans: I know that we came into this game expecting to get crushed, so I understand the low turnout, but I hope to see that increase significantly in the future. It really was an overall pleasant experience and there is nothing to "be scared of". I don't understand why our fans travel pretty much every where else in the Big Ten very well except for OSU. There were more Michigan fans there than it appeared on TV, and those present cheered avidly, but the vast majority did not wear maize and either wore blue/grey or a non Michigan jacket with a discreet hat/scarf. This always bugs me (at home or away); if you go to a game to cheer for Michigan, dress so that you're visible; BE PROUD, THIS IS MICHIGAN FERGODSAKES AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING IN THE GREATEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL (even though we are absolutely deplorable currently).
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They were huge favorites in 2010 (10-1 vs 7-4, hadn't lost to us in 7 years and the last Columbus game was a slaughter) as well, not to mention both 2010 and 2014 everyone expected the Michigan coach to likely be fired at the end of the season, so I really don't see your point there. Either your friend had worse than average luck, or was overdramatic, or I had really good luck; I don't think the setup of The Game would cause a significant difference between those two years. Also, I'm assuming that happened to him at a tailgate; like I said, I didn't actually tailgate so I can't comment on that and maybe they are really bad.
As for the car, I backed mine in and it was fine.
I've been reading this blog for a while, but this is my first post (wooo!!!!)
Today was my first experience at Ohio State and although the game was a heartbreaker I'm very glad that we went.
A little background to precede some observations of mine:
We left Ann Arbor at 6:30AM and were parked at 9:40. There was no traffic, even the inside Columbus city limits, and the drive really didn't seem too long to me. We parked about a mile west of the stadium for $15 in their public parking. There were shuttles available, but the weather was pretty mild so I enjoyed the walk. My friend and I (both current Michigan students; I'm a junior, she's a senior) were 100% decked out in maize, and I even had a pom-pom. We didn't tailgate beforehand, but ate at a very nice, modern Panera Bread before the game and walked around a little bit, including the oval. We got in the stadium at 11:10 (at which point their student section was 5% full at best and most of the stadium empty) and sat in the middle of the C deck in the Northeast Corner that is typically designated for away fans (Section 8C). For comparision's sake, I have also attended Michigan games in South Bend and East Lansing.
Observations:
Ohio Stadium: It is pretty impressive. Feels a little bigger than The Big House initially, but I hate how there are so many stairs and it feels very enclosed and claustrophobic in the concourses. I still think our band's Pregame is far better than theirs(so slow paced, most OSU fans stop clapping by the time script ohio is almost finished because it takes so long), although they kill us at half time stuff. Plus, if you think we play too much "rawk music", OSU played WAYYYY more. (PS-stop complaining about it; it's great for the atmosphere in moderation and we students love it. As people who actually do all the band cheers, unlike 95% of alumni/general fans, Let's Go Blue and The Victors get old after the 4,000th time and occassionally kill the vibe)
Although we technically had "bad" seats, I could see very well no matter where the ball was. The one thing I will say about OSU's stadium that was awful (besides the incessant advertising) was its scoreboard. Small, not high quality resolution, oddly shaped, and confusing format for the Down, Yards to Go, etc. Obviously ND has no video boards, but both Spartan Stadium and the Big House have wayyyy better video setups. Also, their boxes don't look nearly as nice as ours, but I only saw from the outside. Finally, idk how on earth today was their attendance record because the top 15 rows of the C deck in the Northwest Corner never filled at any point during the game. Did notice a lot more police activity than in the Big House. Actually saw two Buckeye fans being kicked out of the stadium for harassing a group of 4 Michigan fans.
Ohio State Fans: I had heard horrible things, about how awful it was for Michigan fans in Columbus. Yes, on the aggregate, they were definitely meaner to us than ND and MSU fans. HOWEVER, at least between MSU and OSU fans, this increase in hostility was only marginal. It really wasn't that bad and Michigan fans have nothing to be scared of unless you are out of control or looking for trouble. We were pretty frequently heckled when we were in the Oval (center of campus), but nothing too bad (mostly, you look so ugly, what are you wearing, O-H, etc.). One guy did throw crumpled up paper garbage at me in the concourse during halftime, but he did it as we were walking by each other (he didn't say anything and kept moving) and it barely grazed my shoulder. Otherwise, during the entire walk from the parking lot to campus only a handful of mostly good humored "comments" were said to us. During the game, nobody said anything to us negatively even though we cheered VERY loudly whenever Michigan scored (sang the lyrics to The Victors and everything; there were probably 20 Michigan fans within 15 rows of me though). On the flip side, we had several very nice people. One walked over half a mile with us and we had a very pleasant conversation the whole time. We also talked to a nice couple during breakfast and the guy next to me at the game, although in Buckeye attire, told me he was rooting for Michigan/was a WVU fan and drunkenly sang what he knew of The Victors a few times. However, none of the nice people to us actually went to OSU; all were wearing scarlet and grey but had relatives who were "real" buckeyes.
Michigan Fans: I know that we came into this game expecting to get crushed, so I understand the low turnout, but I hope to see that increase significantly in the future. It really was an overall pleasant experience and there is nothing to "be scared of". I don't understand why our fans travel pretty much every where else in the Big Ten very well except for OSU. There were more Michigan fans there than it appeared on TV, and those present cheered avidly, but the vast majority did not wear maize and either wore blue/grey or a non Michigan jacket with a discreet hat/scarf. This always bugs me (at home or away); if you go to a game to cheer for Michigan, dress so that you're visible; BE PROUD, THIS IS MICHIGAN FERGODSAKES AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING IN THE GREATEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL (even though we are absolutely deplorable currently).