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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/howlincoyote2k1 on 2023-12-20 00:52:47.

It was Thursday afternoon. I had been pondering what I wanted to do to satiate my hunger for some travel and live sports. After looking at schedules for bowl games and other events, hotel prices near the bowls, travel strategies, road conditions, etc…I finally made my decision of what I wanted to do:

I was going to drive north to Canada and watch some WHL junior hockey!

I mean…perhaps even moreso than college football, I’m a hockey fan. And I don’t get to travel much to see hockey, since many of my friends aren’t as into hockey as I am, and traveling during hockey season can be treacherous, but everything seemed to be pretty clear heading up to Alberta and Saskatchewan, the hotels and game tickets were inexpensive, and it lined up for me to catch 3 games in 3 cities in 3 days. It made perfect sense. So, I quickly packed my bags, got in the car, and began driving north from my home in Utah.

Some 7 hours later, I arrive in Butte, Montana, and I need to get gas. It’s after 2 AM, it’s cold, I’m getting tired, and I’ve got a long, long way to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to watch my first game. But while getting gas…I remember something.

Right here on r/CFB, a Montana fan entered a passionate lobby for why we should watch Montana vs NDSU. I recall reading it, thinking it really could be a lot of fun…but as soon as I saw the ticket prices, I balked. So I’m standing there at this gas station and I think…yeah, I gotta give it another look while I’m here. And I looked at some local hotels in the area. And then I re-read the post.

Are you a junkie looking for meaningful football in a sea of bowl games that even the players aren’t interested in playing? Yes!

Do you want to watch high performers play at their best? Why yes!

Do you love raucous home crowds? I love a raucous crowd!

If any of this caught your attention, THIS GAME IS FOR YOU. I mean yes, but the tickets are kinda expensive, and there’s some other stuff I wanna see, and–

Just watch this game. You will not regret it. Okey dokey.

At that moment…it just all made perfect sense. Even with the higher ticket prices, it just. made. sense. So I abandoned my hockey plan, called the audible, and bought the ticket to Montana vs NDSU. I was SOLD.

After an uneventful Friday that largely consisted of me hanging out in a hotel room in Butte, just watching stupid YouTube videos and killing time, I left early Saturday morning to make the ~2 hour drive over to Missoula. As I arrived, I could definitely feel a distinct “gameday buzz” throughout the town; everyone was wearing Griz gear, the car flags were out, and there were some NDSU fans that made the trek over as well.

I was thoroughly impressed with the tailgate scene. The general tailgating area was pretty compact, but crowded! The tailgaters were also quite friendly, offering me drinks, hamburgers, and a hot dog that I think may have been made with bison or some other kind of game? Pretty on-brand for Montana! I also got to stop and chat with some of the fans as well, including one who thought my gold ASU hoodie (which I was wearing under my jacket; look, us desert folk have to stay warm) was a secret NDSU hoodie. All good.

The stadium location is gorgeous. Utah’s stadiums are well documented for being in scenic locales, and WGS is right up there with them. Just beautiful.

The game itself was fantastic. The crowd was, indeed, electric. Loud and passionate, and responsible for several NDSU false starts. With the exception of a break between the first and second quarters, nobody sat. I actually tried to rent one of those stadium seat cushions that fit on the bleachers, but I didn’t have $10 in cash–turns out I didn’t need it anyway. I’ve never stood for an entire game before…until Saturday.

With a sore back, no feeling in my feet, freezing my tail off, but still feeling the high of seeing a masterpiece of a football game, I went downtown for some food and check out some bars…then drove back to my hotel in Butte. I was exhausted.

Suffice to say…I made the right choice. Simply put, I had so much fun. And thanks to everyone else here that offered suggestions and ideas on things to do in Missoula pre- and post-game. And I’ll definitely be back for another game next year!

Feel free to AMA, and check out my pics here: . Go Griz!