Ohio State fans traveled across the country to watch the Buckeyes play for the national championship on Friday night, but not all of them went to Tempe.

“I flew up here from Jacksonville, Fla., to watch the game in Columbus,” said Tim Burris during the festivities at the Varsity Club. “I graduated from Ohio State, and my girlfriend is from New Orleans. I wanted to show her the tradition of Ohio State football, and there’s no better place than the Varsity Club.”

Hours before the game, the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe was packed with fans who came from all over to watch the game.

“We contemplated going to Tempe, but just based on ticket availability, we decided the next best thing would be to come down here to the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe,” said Jeff Fisher, from Bucyrus, Ohio. “The atmosphere is totally new.”

“This is the first time since ’68 that we’ve had a national championship, so I think it’s going to be pretty exciting up until this thing starts,” he said. “It’s been six weeks since we’ve played a ball game. Everybody will be into it on every play.”

The atmosphere at the Hall of Fame Cafe was exactly what any Buckeye fan would expect. Fans were glued to the TV even before the game started. Members of the OSU alumni band played, and the crowd was a sea of red.

Matt Keller, an OSU graduate, came to Columbus from Jackson, Ohio, to watch the game.

“It’s the Varsity Club, it’s tradition,” Keller said. “You are surrounded by Buckeye people, you’re surrounded by people you know are rooting for the same team that you are. They feel the same way you do, and it helps you relate.”

A lot of fans from out of town chose to get a hotel room in Columbus and watch the game rather than stay at home.

“We’re staying here at the Blackwell as part of a Christmas present for my dad,” said Brian Riffe of Dayton. “They have a deal that comes with a dinner, followed by watching the game on a 10-foot screen.”

“The atmosphere makes it better than being at home to watch the game,” he said. “It’s great just to be around other Buckeyes.”

Others found watching the game in the campus area a less expensive alternative to traveling to Arizona.

“We just came down for the game,” said Mark Smith of Tiffin, Ohio, as he enjoyed the pregame at the Hall of Fame Cafe. “We just wanted the full atmosphere of Ohio State tradition. We’d be out in Tempe if we were rich.”

“We’re staying at the Holiday Inn, and we’re heading back there for the game, but we expect a loud hotel room,” he said.