Texas Fans Brave 94 Degree Heat To Secure Front Row For Ohio State

The Campout Begins

Texas junior Griffin Shelley checked the line for the student section on Thursday evening. No one was there yet. He quickly texted his friends to claim their spot, starting a campout for Saturday's game against Ohio State.

By Friday afternoon, Shelley was waiting in the 94 degree heat outside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. He was joined by senior Conner Roll-Bush and graduate student Kez Dunn. The group of about 15 close friends met while waiting in lines for Texas football games in the past.

They have turned stadium campouts into a tradition. It started in 2022 when they camped out before a game against Alabama. Even though Texas lost that game 20-19, the group had a great time and kept the tradition going.

Braving the Elements

The heat in Austin reached 94 degrees on Friday, but the students have dealt with worse. A few years ago, temperatures dropped into the 30s before a game against TCU. Dunn recalled that they all thought they were going to get hypothermia.

This time, they have some shade from a tree and a portable fan dropped off by Roll-Bush's girlfriend, A.J. Forrest. They also got food delivered by Andrew Eason, a graduate who now has his own season tickets.

The group includes campus celebrities. Preston Powe, known as Big Red, is a local social media star due to his appearances on the stadium jumbotron. Roll-Bush is known as Bevo Hat Guy because he wears a Bevo plush duct taped to a cowboy hat.

Protecting the Best Seats

The friends usually start waiting on Friday mornings. Because Ohio State is such a massive opponent, they decided to get there even earlier.

"This is the biggest game of the year," Shelley said. "We've never not gotten our front seats at the 20 yard line. We could not let that start happening now."

They plan to be fully assembled in line by Saturday morning, ready to claim their usual spot.

What it means for the next game

Ohio State Buckeyes at Texas Longhorns (College Football, Sat, 12 Sep): Texas Longhorns win 53%, Ohio State Buckeyes win 47%; projected score Texas Longhorns 26, Ohio State Buckeyes 24. Our safest pick: Texas +8.5.

Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio State Buckeyes (College Football, Sat, 19 Sep): Ohio State Buckeyes win 96%, Kent State Golden Flashes win 4%; projected score Ohio State Buckeyes 41, Kent State Golden Flashes 13. Our safest pick: Kent State +38.5.