Orange Bowl 2025 -Cross it off the Bucket List

Orange Bowl -Game Day

You won’t believe how this unfolded. Stevie boy, totally blindsided me with tickets to the Orange Bowl. In passing I mentioned that seeing a college football game in person was on my bucket list— 10 minutes later I had tickets in my hand. I mean, I don’t even follow football that closely, but who says no to the Orange Bowl?

And this wasn’t  just any game. This was Penn State versus Notre Dame—two powerhouses with fanbases so intense it’s like their own religion. Suddenly, I’m Googling team stats, watching game previews, and trying to brush up on my Notre Dame history so I could fit in with the “Play Like a Champion Today” crowd. (Did you know their golden helmets are hand-painted before every game?) By the time we packed our bags for Miami, I was fully ready to channel my inner Irish. Plus I should add that Rudy is one of my favourite movies!

We decided to make a full experience out of the trip and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel before the game, and let me tell you, the energy there was something else. The place was buzzing with fans from both sides—Penn State’s blue and white mixing with Notre Dame’s green and gold everywhere you looked. Even the lobby felt electric, with conversations about the game happening at every turn. Fans were decked out in jerseys, taking selfies by the giant guitar, and you could hear playful trash talk echoing around the bar. It wasn’t just a hotel; it felt like the unofficial headquarters for pre-game hype. The excitement was contagious—it was impossible not to get swept up in it. You could feel that something special was about to happen, and everyone was just waiting to take it all to the stadium.

And let me  say, Miami knows how to set a stage. The Orange Bowl wasn’t just a stadium—it was a spectacle. The palm trees swayed under floodlights, the unseasonably cool Florida air settled over me, a refreshing contrast to the usual humid warmth I had expected, and the buzz of the crowd was like a heartbeat. I’ve never seen so many decked-out fans in one place—blue and white jerseys for Penn State, green and gold for Notre Dame (for those wearing shirts LOL), and everyone was hyped like this was the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one.

And oh, the spectacle! When I walked into the stadium… the Orange Bowl in Miami, a shining beacon of bright lights and glitz, a world away from the snowbanks of Pennsylvania or the windswept plains of Indiana. The chanting had already started. I regretted not buying a ‘Go Irish” hat at the merch stand. It was more than a game. It was a pilgrimage, a clash of cultures, a showdown between grit and glory, played out on the emerald-green stage under a very chilly,  Florida sky. I was glad I wore layers!  One moment I was there for the experience, and the next, I was yelling along with the Notre Dame fans as if I’d grown up on campus at South Bend. (Sorry, Penn State fans—it wasn’t personal!)

When over 300 Notre Dame band members took center field it was absolutely incredible. I’ve seen college bands on TV, but seeing them in person, you could just feel it in the air—the electricity, the nerves, the sheer, unbridled hope of two fan bases yearning for immortality. It wasn’t just a football game. It was a battle for pride, for bragging rights, for the ages.

By the time you are reading this, you will know the outcome of the game…but during the game, I was on the edge of my seat, barely understanding half the plays but fully immersed in the drama. Every touchdown, every fumble, every cheer from the crowd felt larger than life. I spent more time out of my seat than in it.

But what I’ll remember most wasn’t just the game. It was the whole feel of it—the collective excitement, the camaraderie of strangers high-fiving in the stands, the fact that for a few hours, you could let go of everything else with nary a care in the world and just be part of something bigger.

So, am I a football fan now? Maybe not exactly, but I get it. The Orange Bowl was more than a game; it was an experience—a rush of energy, spectacle, and excitement I’ll never forget. And for someone who thought this was just a ‘crossing off a bucket list item,’ I left the stadium feeling like I’d gained a newfound appreciation for the magic of college football and the sense of connection that comes from something so much bigger than yourself.