Tonight, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma University will play in the Orange Bowl. It is supposed to decide the NCAA Division I college football national championship. But really, it decides nothing.
We are currently in Fort Lauderdale among behemoth yachts and the official hotels of OU’s Boomer Sooner-chanting faithful. For as big a game as the 250+ media credential types prove, the town is awful staid. Not to say that there is anything wrong with bikinis, beaches and 80° days. There is just not a lot of excitement.
Unlike two weeks ago. We were in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the NCAA Division I-AA college football national championship, Montana vs. James Madison. The weather was sub-freezing, the only people in the streets were Montana fans. No tourists, no media, no bikinis and no beach.
We had a raucous, good time spoiled only by the Grizzlies’ shocking loss to JMU. The Griz started the season ranked number one. They won the Big Sky conference and won an automatic bid into the 16-team I-AA playoffs. After three decisive home field wins, they were in their fifth championship game in ten years.
As an easterner, I did not know much about Montanans and their rabid love of football until my sister started attending school in Missoula. “They love their Griz here,” she implored while I shrugged, “C’mon, it’s Montana, not Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan Louisiana or Alabama.”
Even before attending the sold-out Griz season opener against Maine, I knew I was wrong. Everyone in that massive state is football-mad. Whether Helena, Billings, Great Falls or Missoula, nearly every car sports a Montana, or their rival Montana State, license plate.
We arrived in Chattanooga on a Wednesday evening. The championship game was Friday night. We ambled downtown. Things were dead. We asked about the game; the locals responded with a passing knowledge, if that. We got a hotel room at a heavily discounted rate. That surprised us, but we smiled and took the keys.
By Thursday, the climate in Chattanooga started to change. The weather turned brisk and charter planes began to arrive from Big Sky country. We had taken notice of the handful of Griz fans at the Chickamauga Battlefield Park Site but did not realize that they had taken over southeastern Tennessee.
They had. When we entered the downtown Sticky Fingers Rib restaurant, which according to all the accolades posted outside seemed like the place to be, we were the only customers not covered head to toe in maroon. “You’re from PA? What are you doing here? Going to the game?” Actually, yes. Eyebrows raised and seats were found. We were looking for an early 5 o’clock dinner but discovered fun.
Montana people are some of the most fun, most generous and definitely most fun-loving people we have met. Montanans have opened up their houses to us, bought countless drinks for us and have always made us feel welcome. They want to show you their wonderful country as well as all their favorite places.
Even at five, there was a long wait for tables at Sticky Fingers. The fans had definitely arrived. We heard about 10 full 200-person charters from Missoula, flights in to Memphis (350 miles away), Atlanta (100 miles) and Nashville (130 miles). “Heck, we are from Montana, we drive 100 miles just to get to the next town,” they told us. I know my sister has to drive 170 miles just to get to a Bed, Bath and Beyond. Montana is big.
Who knows how the rest came, but UT-Chattanooga’s stadium holds 25,000 people and there were at least 10,000 in Maroon and Silver. More fans than James Madison, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia; a state school in a state whose border lies just 200 miles away. None of the JMU fans were downtown Thursday night.
We never got our ribs. We ended up moving on to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel with the rest of the crowd for the Montana pep rally. We met a player’s mother, got a picture with Monte the award-winning mascot and were caught up in a whirlwind of excitement.
We left the pep rally still hoping for ribs. We sat down at about 10; the restaurant was still full of Griz fans. The waitress started, “now I know this is going to sound funny, but before you get hopeful, we ran out of ribs. This has never happened before. I am so sorry.” We were distraught. “You’re here for the football game. With Montana, right” she stated without asking. “Come back tomorrow, here is a gift certificate.” Montanans ate all the ribs in town. I bet the same applied for alcohol sales.
When we returned to the hotel, a quickly drawn sign was taped on the lobby door: “No coupons taken. Special Event Weekend Rates Apply.” The storm had hit.
Game day was spectacular, except for the game’s result. We called our terrific friends that we had met the day before and tailgated under the awning for the Chattanooga marketplace. Again, the Montana fans outnumbered their Dukes counterparts in droves. Sports karma had to be on our side. It wasn’t.
After the game, we returned to the hotel but most Montana fans went back downtown or to the tailgate site where the Griz alumni association was distributing free beer to thousands. We hope that their trip to Tennessee was as fun and worthwhile as ours.
James Madison was a deserving champion and an unlikely underdog. They do not enjoy Montana’s tradition and did not have an easy road to the title game. They had not been ranked in the Top Ten during most of the season and had to win three straight playoff road games. That is what is great about I-AA and every other American sports competition for that matter.
American sports are about playoffs. It is how we choose our champions; fight it out to the end, last man standing, king of the hill wins. I won’t bore you with the debate, the dire injustices and the shameful greed of major conference exclusivity except to say that Utah deserves better. And I really wish the Boise State Broncos could have had a chance. JMU earned their title, it was not anointed. It would be nice if either USC or Oklahoma had had to run the same gauntlet.