Road-Trippin' Through the Big Ten: Destination Michigan State

I enjoy going to Northwestern road football games a lot more than I enjoy going to their home games.

I've been to every Big Ten football stadium except for Penn State's and Minnesota's during my time at NU, and I've had many memorable experiences at other schools.

There was the 2007 debacle at "The Horseshoe" when Ohio State took a 21-0 lead before you could say "slaughter." Being on the field shooting the game for the Northwestern News Network was absolutely insane...the crowd was so loud I could barely hear myself think.

But there was also my trip to Spartan Stadium that same year, which saw NU dramatically pull off a win in overtime as CJ Bacher set a school record for single-game passing yards.

There was the bizarre, inexplicable, and downright shocking loss to Indiana in 2008.

But there was also the first Northwestern win in the Big House since 1995.

So far 2009 has been a mixed bag. I went to Purdue and called the exciting NU victory for WNUR, and this last Friday night I drove to East Lansing with three of my friends from NNN to shoot what was a pivotal game in NU's season.

I was hoping it would turn out like the 2007 game, but it did not. Once again, I stood on the field at Spartan Stadium and felt just a bit of jealousy towards the opponent.

After all, Michigan State's student section is bigger than the entire undergraduate population of Northwestern.

The night before the game, I went and hung out with an old friend from middle school who happens to go to Michigan State. When I asked her if she was going to the game tomorrow, she responded that she didn't have a ticket.

Oh right, you actually have to buy a ticket to go to the games at other Big Ten schools.

At Northwestern, students get in free, and still don't show up half the time. Some call it apathy, my roommate terms it as the whole Northwestern student body simply being spoiled. 

But I digress, the tough loss to the Spartans on the road was an unfortunate way to end a great weekend.  We were hoping to go to Midnight Madness the night before, another tradition Northwestern lacks (for good reason), but it was full by the time we got there. But it was still a fun time, hanging out with friends, and anticipating the big game the next day.

My road trip to MSU was my first repeat trip to a Big Ten football stadium, and while sometimes I wish I went to a school where the students were as excited about sports as other student populations around the Big Ten, I still love Northwestern.

There's something special about rooting for the underdog, the team that never gets any attention, the team that no one ever expects big things from...because when (not if, when) Northwestern once again returns to Pasadena, it will mean so much more to those of us who stuck with the team through the tough times.

In the meantime, I'll just continue to enjoy taking trips to schools that care, and smiling when the 'Cats DO pull off the upset.

Next stop: Iowa in three weeks. Hopefully it will turn out better than this past Saturday.