Last spring when I started scheduling this crazy little trip, I circled last Saturday, December 1, because I knew it marked the end of the college football regular season, and therefore the end of my pigskin campus travels. And oh, what a December 1 it was, as I took in two great college football rivalries in two different states both in a span of less than 12 hours.
First stop: Baltimore , Maryland where the green machine rolled in about 10:30 a.m. from Philadelphia for the 12:15 p.m. kickoff between Army and Navy. The Midshipmen, who will play in San Diego on Dec. 20 in the Poinsettia Bowl, have dominated this historic rivalry, winning the last five meetings. The Black Knights were hoping to change that on a sunny, but very brisk Saturday afternoon in the 108th battle between the Army men from West Point , New York and Midshipmen from Annapolis , Maryland .
Everywhere you turned outside M&T Bank Stadium there were signs and banners hanging from cars and RVs reading, “Go Army, Beat Navy,” or “Go Navy, Beat Army.” But the real pre-game treat was on the inside, which is also the Baltimore Ravens home field.
There was the ceremonial march-in of the cadets from Army and the midshipmen from Navy, decked out their respective uniforms, followed by an awesome sky show. First, more than a half dozen midshipmen flew into the stadium from thousands of feat above in parachutes, followed by their Army counterparts. Moments later, following the national anthem, Navy flyers and Army choppers zoomed above.
I felt lucky to have finally experienced this great tradition in person, and thought of my late father, who served in the U.S. Air Force. I was also touched by the halftime show that featured a gigantic American flag covering virtually the entire field as Lee Greenwood and the crowd sang, “I’m proud to be an American.”
As for the game, Navy pummeled Army, 38-3, capturing its sixth straight win in the series. About the only cheering from Army fans was when one of its cadets jumped from the stands to tackle Navy’s goat-looking mascot by surprise from behind for celebrating another Midshipmen touchdown to close to Black Knights fans.
By 3:30 p.m., I was back in the green machine headed for Morgantown , West Virginia for another great college football rivalry: the 100th annual “Backyard Brawl” between the University of Pittsburgh and the host Mountaineers, the two schools separated by less than 90 miles. The stakes for West Virginia couldn’t have been higher – win and the Mounties would play for the national title on Jan. 7.
The 210-mile drive to Morgantown went without incident, and I had parked the green machine by 7 p.m., desperately seeking a ticket. Although they were hosting hapless Pittsburgh , with West Virginia one win away from the chance to play in the national championship, there was excess demand and limited supply. I love football but I wasn’t going to pay $100 for a ticket. But once again, like the strange twists and turns that have epitomized this odyssey, I somehow managed to get in – for free.
As I scooped out the ticket market, a student approached me and another student who was with his girlfriend also seeking entry.
“Listen,” he said, as his head nudged toward the entrance way and an usher. “Give me $30 total and I’ll sneak you guys in. The usher’s my brother. Just follow me; act normal.”
It then all happened so quickly.
Before I could put my hand in my wallet to contribute, the guy with his girlfriend immediately forked over $30 for all of us, and sure enough, we approached the usher, with the brother quickly slipping the cash to the usher first. The usher then lazily patted each of us down and we were inside. I found a ticket stub as I walked the west stands, and knew I was now in the clear. I never used the ticket stub because I didn’t purchase it, and instead roamed around the whole game, my 26th and final college football game on this journey.
The weather continued to turn decidedly cold, with pockets of light sprinkles mixed in while the visiting Panthers stymied the high-octane offense of the Mounties in the first 30 minutes of play. During halftime, West Virginia ’s band created a “BCS” montage across the field, symbolizing the Mounties seemingly inevitable berth for a stake in the Bowl Championship Series national title game.
After all, they couldn’t lose to Pittsburgh , which entered the game with just four wins, could they? Perhaps in the future however the band might reconsider such a strategy.
That’s because Pitt continued to stifle West Virginia over the next 30 minutes of play, including knocking out its starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate, Pat White. By 11 p.m., the now 4-7 Panthers were dancing on the “WV” logo at midfield, having pulled off arguably the biggest upset in an upset-laden college football season, much to the joy of its small, but vocal fan base that had made the short trek down from Pittsburgh.
When I witnessed Arkansas stun LSU at Tiger Stadium the day after Thanksgiving, neither I nor anyone else could have imagined that a 2-loss team would play for the BCS title. But because of West Virginia’s gaffe (its second loss this season), plus Missouri losing again on Saturday night, there was likely plenty of dancing in the streets of Baton Rouge late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. By virtue of its two losses both happening in triple overtime, it was inevitable that LSU would play one-loss Ohio State Jan. 7 for all the marbles.
As for yours truly, by 1 a.m. on Dec. 2, I had arrived at a hotel north of Pittsburgh , which would be my launching pad six hours later for my final, long haul through the Midwest . Destination: Soldier Field, Chicago , for a meeting between two historic NFL franchises, the host Bears and the visiting Giants.
I made the 450-mile trek without incident, arriving in the Windy City on Dec. 2 about 90 minutes before kickoff. It was great football weather, and the late George Halas, founder of the Bears, would have loved it: dark and dreary with winds gusting up to 30 miles an hour and a steady rain falling. Yummy. Above the south end zone, looking out on the city skyline, I could see the top of the Sears Tower shrouded in cloud.
The Bears choked a 16-7 lead in the fourth quarter as Eli Manning and the G-Men likely punched their ticket to the post-season, stunning a wet and sold-out Soldier Field. Halas would have liked the weather, but certainly not the outcome. Less than a year since playing in the Super Bowl, the Bears will be golfing come January.