Whoa, Nellie, what a road trip
Are you ready for the granddaddy of all college football road trips?
By Lawrence Hollyfield, Times Correspondent
Published August 29, 2007
All you need are three months, three days, three friends (to share the experience - oh, and the driving), four airplane tickets, one RV and $8,166 in gas money. In return, you'll spend 356 or so hours driving to attend 28 games, starting with one on the "Smurf Turf" in Boise, Idaho and finishing with the classic Army vs. Navy in Baltimore. In between, matchups that make you want to bring Keith Jackson along for the ride: Oklahoma vs. Texas, USC at Notre Dame, Ohio State at Michigan, Florida State at Florida. I had the modest idea of 12 games in 12 weeks. My buddy, David Del Tosto, a 40-year-old Tampa architect, took the idea and ran about 24,000 miles with it. Should've expected that from someone who once said, "We're entering the best four months of the year - college football season." Del Tosto's interstate itinerary is not for the faint of wallet (it actually might be cheaper to buy the RV than rent it, and there is a small matter of purchasing game tickets), but it's okay to dream big, right? Hey, boss, can I have 94 days off? Honey, see you in December.
August
Fly from Tampa to Boise, Idaho, rent an RV and start the College Football Road Trip.
Game No. 1 -- Thursday: Weber State at Boise State (Just to see the "Smurf Turf" in person).
September
2 -- Saturday: Tennessee at California (Boise to Berkeley = 650 miles, 10 hours).
3 -- Thursday, Sept. 6: Oregon St. at Cincinnati (Berkeley to Cincinnati = 2,400 miles, 34 hours).
4 -- Saturday, Sept. 8: Miami (FL) at Oklahoma (Cincinnati to Norman = 900 miles, 13 hours).
5 -- Thursday, Sept. 13: W. Virginia at Maryland (Norman to College Park = 1,350 miles, 20 hours).
6 -- Saturday, Sept. 15: Notre Dame at Michigan (College Park to Ann Arbor = 550 miles, nine hours).
7 -- Thursday, Sept. 20: Texas A&M at Miami, (FL) (Ann Arbor to Miami = 1,400 miles, 21 hours).
8 -- Saturday, Sept. 22: Georgia at Alabama (Miami to Tuscaloosa = 850 miles, 13 hours).
9 -- Friday, Sept. 28: West Virginia at USF (Tuscaloosa to Tampa = 600 miles, 10 hours).
10 -- Saturday, Sept. 29: Auburn at Florida (Tampa to Gainesville = 150 miles, two hours).
October
11 -- Tuesday, Oct. 2: Marshall at Memphis (Gainesville to Memphis = 700 miles, 11 hours).
12 -- Thursday, Oct. 4: Kentucky at South Carolina (Memphis to Columbia = 650 miles, nine hours).
13 -- Friday, Oct. 5: Utah at Louisville (Columbia to Louisville = 550 miles, eight hours).
14 -- Saturday, Oct. 6: Oklahoma vs. Texas (Louisville to Dallas = 850 miles, 13 hours).
15 -- Saturday, Oct. 13: Wisconsin at Penn State (Dallas to State College = 1,400 miles, 21 hours).
16 -- Saturday, Oct. 20: USC at Notre Dame (State College to South Bend = 500 miles, eight hours).
17 -- Thursday, Oct. 25: Boston College at Virginia Tech (South Bend to Blacksburg = 600 miles, 10 hours).
18 -- Saturday, Oct. 27: Nebraska at Texas (Blacksburg to Austin = 1,300 miles, 19 hours).
November
19 -- Thursday, Nov. 1: Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (Austin to Atlanta = 1,000 miles, 15 hours).
20 -- Saturday, Nov. 3: Wisconsin at Ohio State (Atlanta to Columbus = 600 miles, nine hours).
21 -- Thursday, Nov. 8: Louisville at West Virginia (Columbus to Morgantown = 250 miles, three hours).
22 -- Saturday, Nov. 10: Michigan at Wisconsin (Morgantown to Madison = 700 miles, 11 hours).
23 -- Saturday, Nov. 17: Ohio State at Michigan (Madison to Ann Arbor = 400 miles, six hours).
24 -- Thursday, Nov. 22: USC at Arizona St. (Ann Arbor to Tempe = 2,050 miles, 30 hours).
25 -- Friday, Nov. 23: Texas at Texas A&M (Tempe to College Station = 1,150 miles, 16 hours).
26 -- Saturday, Nov. 24: Florida State at Florida (College Station to Gainesville = 1,000 miles, 14 hours).
27 -- Thursday, Nov. 29: Rutgers at Louisville (Gainesville to Louisville = 800 miles, 12 hours).
December
28 -- Saturday, Dec. 1: Navy vs. Army (Louisville to Baltimore = 650 miles, nine hours).
Drop off RV - if it actually made it through this trip - and fly back to Tampa.
Total Miles Traveled: Approximately 24,000 (about 900 miles less than the circumference of earth).
Total Hours Traveled: Approximately 356 hours.
Note: Mileages were rounded up to the next increment of 50. Driving times were rounded to the nearest hour.