Ann Arbor – Hundreds of Wolverines fans crowded the grounds outside Ferry Field for ESPN’s “College GameDay” show ahead of Saturday’s Top 10 showdown against Texas.
ESPN’s pregame program inspired Michigan fans’ unbridled pride in their school as the defending national champions hosted the Longhorns for the first time at Michigan Stadium. From body paint to miniature billboards, Michigan fans were ready to prove why their team is still No. 1.
Against a sea of mostly maize and blue, commentators discussed how the game might turn out before the clash. Groups of fans in Texas’ signature orange were scattered throughout the crowd, but fan signs poking fun at Michigan and Texas’ rivals nearly obscured them.
“Ewers, you were a Wolverine,” read a handmade sign that playfully mocked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and said he wished he played for Michigan.
Bri Dyer, a 21-year-old senior at UM, taped the poster she designed to a broom to raise it a little higher above the crowd, she said. Dyer is from Grand Rapids and was excited to show her school pride at Saturday morning’s game after spending the night before putting her idea for a sign into action, she said.
“This is an original, along with the broom glued to the back,” Dyer said.
A Texas fan displayed a sign urging UM spectators to “steal this SIGN,” complete with a drawing of the Longhorns’ Hook ‘Em Horns hand sign. The poster referenced an open NCAA investigation into an alleged sign-stealing scheme led by former Wolverines analyst Connor Stalions.
Michigan fans seemed unfazed. Large banners with upside-down Hook ‘Em Horns flew from dorm rooms along the road to Ferry Field, and many fans flipped the hand signal for ESPN’s viewing cameras.
“We made the old guy from Bama resign,” read another sign mocking former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Bud Powell, a 34-year-old UM fan, stenciled the sign before driving over from Angola, Indiana, and painted his entire upper body before the game, he said.
Jodi Balser, a 22-year-old Central Michigan University student from Mount Pleasant, said she used her mother’s connections in the printing industry to create a sign she designed digitally. Balser, a lifelong Michigan fan, added the upside-down horns for an added accent.
“They say everything is bigger in Texas… So welcome to the BIG HOUSE! GO BLUE!” read their sign.
Behind the cameras, hundreds more people crowded into the “College GameDay” area, with dozens of reserved tents, grills, TVs and coolers. The neatly arranged rows of tents were a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of fans who also gathered in other blocks and in the parking lots outside the grounds.
Outside Ferry Field, throngs of Michigan fans mingled with groups in bright orange, while fans of both teams took turns mocking each other.
Aaron Wilson, 42, dressed in orange, stood under his own tent that read “A House Divided.” The Texas graduate flew in from Chatham, New Jersey, with his wife, a UM graduate, and two young daughters to celebrate their differences together, he joked.
Both girls wore T-shirts with the logos of both teams to highlight the family’s connection to both schools, he said. Wilson reserved his tent and bought plane tickets for his family 364 days in advance because it was so important to them, he said.
Saturday’s game split more than one happy pair of fans. Madeline Corson, 32, drove to Ann Arbor from their home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her fiancé, even though they were cheering for different teams, she said.
Corson was rooting for Michigan because she grew up in Michigan but attended another school out of state, she said. Her fiancé, Ezra Siegel, 29, attended Texas. Although they were from opposing teams, the couple said they experienced a lot of love between fans wherever they went.
“We really love college football and it’s on our bucket list to see Texas play Michigan in the Big House,” Siegel said. “The kids can cheer on any score and as long as we’re happy at the end, it’s OK whoever wins.”
“I love Ann Arbor, it’s a great city. I’ve never been to the Big House and I’m really excited to check it out.”
Diane Cress, 58, said she was just happy to see the team again as part of her family tradition.
Cress, of Detroit, has been attending UM games since 1975, she said. It’s been a family pastime since 1952 and one she’s proud to share with her family, who travel from all over the country, she said.
“We love Michigan football,” she said.
