Students and fans in the north section hold up ‘O’ to spell “Ohio” during the game against Texas Saturday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
What began as a late-summer morning outside Ohio Stadium transformed into a festival of scarlet and gray as crowds surged down Lane Avenue. They were making a pilgrimage to the Horseshoe, where the start of football season turns Saturdays into a game-day ritual.
Chants of “O-H” came from every direction. The smell of hamburgers and bratwurst sizzling on grills filled the air.
The Week 1 matchup between the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes was more than a game on the field – it was a spectacle.
“It’s crazy, and it’s a little bit overwhelming,” Jackson Herda, a first-year engineering student, said. “There are a lot of people everywhere.”
Just outside The Shoe, many fans joined ESPN’s College Gameday and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff shows. Crowds surrounded the show stages, with many fans having risen before sunrise to secure their spots. The noise from the herds of Buckeye and Texas fans drowned out the broadcasters’ voices over the PA system.
“Watching it on TV is much different than actually being here with all the crowd in the environment,” said Chung Yin, a freshman in nursing at Bob Jones University, visiting family and friends in Columbus. “It’s just really exciting.”
Around the stadium, alumni who had attended some of the most prominent games in recent Horseshoe history said the energy was on a different level for the afternoon’s matchup.
“The best games I’ve been to are the 2021 Penn State game and the Tennessee game last year, but for a noon game, this is about as good as it could get,” said Bobby Smallwood, a biomedical engineering graduate.
Texas fans that made the trip stepped into a boisterous environment that compared to the biggest rivalry games in the SEC.
“SEC football is fantastic, but I got to tell you, Big Ten football is great too,” said Mike Blake, a Texas fan and parent of a student at the University of Texas.
While the stakes were high, and anxiety and anticipation filled the air, beneath it was a hospitality that made the setting feel unmistakably Midwestern.
“Ohio has been unbelievably welcoming,” Blake said. “I’ll wear the burnt orange wherever I go, and these fans have been fantastic.”
By the time fans entered The Shoe for the first time this season, it was clear the game was more than a first step toward a potential repeat National Championship. It was a moment in history that captured everything that college football can be.
“It’s hype,” Smallwood said, grinning as music blasted from the tailgate next to him. “I’m super excited for it to be a good time.”
