Today is the big day. Finally! It?s so exciting to be part of such a big event and be able to grasp all of the insanity that is the Bowl Game madness. I was a little nervous this morning when I woke up and was getting ready to head over to the University of Phoenix Stadium, where the Fiesta Bowl will kick off at 6 p.m. our time. This is the first time that I have been to a bowl game, and also the first time that I have been in a press box at a football game.

We left the hotel at noon on a charter bus for the media with a police escort. It was a pretty funny experience driving through Arizona with a police escort, who was clearing traffic so that we could get to the stadium as fast as possible.

The stadium itself is gigantic! It has huge retractable roof that allows a lot of natural light to enter the stadium. It?s also the only stadium in North America that has a retractable turf. That means that the people who run the stadium can literally take the turf out of the stadium, making it easier to print the emblems that go on the field, such as the Fiesta Bowl logo at center field.

The air around the stadium is amazing. We arrived a little before 1 p.m., and there were already fans from both the Sooners and the Mountaineers that were tailgating in the parking lot. Vendors were all outside the stadium, selling beads and paraphernalia to support both teams. West Virginia and Oklahoma fans were mingling with each other since the intensity of the game hasn?t officially started yet.

The interior of the stadium itself is amazing. There are approximately 63,400 permanent seats, expandable to 73,000 seats for big games. There are 88 luxury lofts, with three party lofts and there is 7,400 club seats and two 39,000 square foot club lounges. It?s pretty much the most amazing stadium that I have ever been inside. The Stadium was designed to be a multi-purpose facility with the ability to host football, basketball, soccer, concerts, consumer shows, motorsports, rodeos and corporate events. The exterior, which was designed to look like a barrel cactus, is a unique design that truly embodies the state of Arizona.

College Football?s Biggest Party, the pre-gaming event outside of the stadium for both Mountaineer and Sooner fans was honestly, the biggest tailgate that I have ever seen. There were hundreds of food vendors, serving anything from candy apples, to Starbucks, to Taco Bell. When I first entered the area, there was a boxing match going on. Sooner and Mountaineer fans were watching the fight go down. Towards the center of the Tailgate, there was a stage where they were announcing six players who were being inducted into the college hall of fame. Doug Flutie, a former Boston College quarterback and current ABC sports broadcaster was among the list of the men inducted into the hall of fame. Both Sooner and Mountaineer fans were watching the induction, cheering on their favorite inductee.

Thousands of Mountaineer fans filled the tables, and sidewalks throughout the party. Nelson Blake, and his wife Joyce, of Morgantown, have been to four other bowl games besides the Fiesta Bowl, but this is their first time out west. So far, his favorite fan event was the pep rally that was held at Garduno?s Margarita Factory yesterday.
Blake feels that there is so much good energy surrounding the team, even with Rich Rod leaving. ?The whole state was ready to go down South to New Orleans. With the coach leaving, it?s been hard but the real fans are here to support the team,? he said.

Blake didn?t have any predictions for the game, saying that ?with this season, anyone can win. 99 percent of America thought that we would beat Pitt, and we didn?t. I think that we have the advantage going in as the underdog into this one.?

With the type of unpredictable season that has plagued football this year, it?s a shot in the dark as to which team has more momentum coming into this game.

?I think that we are a good team, who gets along well and we have our head in the game. Even if we lose, it will be such a good game that it?s worth the money to come out here, win or lose,? Blake said. ?You obviously don?t want to pay a lot of money to see a blowout, but it should be a great game.?

Even with all of the fans at the event, there didn?t seem to be many safety issues. Troy Passmore, who was working in the Fiesta Bowl First Aid tent, said that it?s been very quiet so far, and there haven?t been any real issues. However, after the game is a different situation.

?We will have 30 or 40 more people working at different areas around the stadium after the game,? Passmore said. Usually most of the issues that the First Aid people deal with are alcohol related fights.
I can barely wait to see us win! LET?S GO ?EERS!