The quickest route from Ohio University to the friendly confines of the “Smurf Turf” found in Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium takes 33 hours. That’s about 2,063 miles. But hey, who’s counting?
Among others, Ohio football fans are.
Although football personnel moved out of Athens for the final road trip of the season earlier this week, everyone’s best guess is that there won’t be too many students following them.
If, at most, the Bobcats’ Famous Idaho Potato Bowl matchup against Utah State lasted four hours, any students looking to make the trip would experience only one hour of gameplay for every 8.25 hours of drive time. Not a favorable ratio.
In an efficient vehicle getting, let’s say, 30 miles per gallon, the price at the pump would be about $550.
Although each student gets a free ticket, the chances of the Ozone flooding Bronco Stadium are unlikely.
Even though the trip from Utah State to Boise is still a hefty 295 miles, Aggie blue will surely be more prominent than green and white on Saturday.
As economically unfeasible as it is for individual students to make the trip, it is costly for the athletic department as well. In the past, the Bobcats have provided busing for students interested in attending bowl games. Last season, Ohio sponsored a trip to New Orleans that cost students only $40. This time around, that would pay for the first tank of gas.
In the Bobcats’ most recent big game, the Mid-American Conference Championship in Detroit, Ohio Athletics subsidized the rental of a six-bus fleet that brought fans to and from Athens, Columbus and Lancaster at prices of only $10 for students and $20 for additional fans.
Ohio associate athletic director for external relations Dan Hauser said that the trip to the MAC Championship was a huge success. He noted that there was a significantly larger amount of students at the game than were originally anticipated, largely because of the bussing.
Official attendance for the contest was only a shade over 13,000, however. The venue, Ford Field, has a capacity of over 65,000 for normal football activity.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
