First-Person: BCS National Championship Trip: LSU Vs. Ohio State

I attended the BCS National Championship game this year between the LSU Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes, and it was a fantastic experience. New Orleans is easily one of the best places to hold a bowl game, as the history and the feeling of the city is unparalleled for any big-game location.

The Ohio State Buckeye and LSU Tiger fans were very different, but equally as emotional and excited for the game. The Buckeye fans were relentless towards the LSU fans, cheering loudly their state cheer of O-H-I-O and sporting several Buckeye necklaces. Even days before the game, the Buckeye fans were giving the LSU fans a tough time. All around New Orleans, you would run into one or two groups of Buckeye fans, and they were hard to miss with all of that scarlet and gray apparel.

The LSU Tiger fans, in my opinion, were not nearly as obnoxious as the Ohio State Buckeye fans were. At the game, I saw a ton of "Geaux Tigers" signs: this is their popular phrase all around campus and at LSU sporting events. I heard that these signs were also found at basketball games, as college basketball at LSU is a big deal. LSU fans were also diehard for their team, as they donned their purple and yellow LSU Tiger apparel, with New Orleans mardi gras beads in team colors.

The Louisiana Superdome was where this year's game was held, and it was quite exciting. I have never seen or heard anything like the game I experienced that night. The Superdome is completely enclosed, so the crowd noise had a huge effect on the game that many people at home watching the game failed to recognize. The crowd was about 65% LSU to 35% Ohio State fans, and the LSU "home field" advantage seemed fairly paramount. There is no doubt in my mind that this greatly helped the Tigers gain confidence during the duration of the game.

All of the fans were incredibly knowledgeable of the players on the field, as the Ohio State Buckeye fans sitting in the stands around me were able to point out the big name players of the LSU Tigers. Matt Flynn, Ryan Perrilloux, Jacob Hester, and Early Doucet were among the names I overheard them discussing, amidst several cheers for the Buckeyes. Almost every "Go Buckeyes!" I heard was countered by a "Geaux Tigers!" cheer, and this was truly great to see.

There were a couple times during the game where it appeared that the Buckeyes were going to make a comeback and catch up with the LSU Tigers, who had taken an early lead in the game. It was great to see all the Buckeye fans standing up and cheering, while the LSU fans anxiously looked upon the field. After the game ended, a great number of fans stuck around to watch the presentation of the National Championship trophy to the LSU Tigers. Fans were very excited to see the LSU Quarterback Matt Flynn win the offensive player of the game.

All in all, the bowl game was a fantastic experience, and I hope to attend the National Championship Game next year.