College Football Blog

It's the pagentry and the tradition of New Year's Day, followed by the Granddaddy football game of the them all. It's the Tournament of Roses Parade! Whether you are planning to attend just the Rose Parade or are a football fan and will also be attending the Rose Bowl and Parade, the day is filled with moments and memories to last a lifetime. 

The theme of the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade is "Welcome", and I can't think of a more appropriate name for the parade that truly welcomes everyone. Marching bands from four countries will participate, joining the celebration from as far away as Kyoto, Japan. The atmosphere throughout the Parade is an inclusive celebration of cultures, music, and art from the exquisitely designed parade floats, to the beauty and elegance of the performers. 

See the floats being decorated, or decorate one yourself! 

You've traveled all the way to California, and you won't want to miss anything happening during the lead up to the Tournament of Roses

Dean & Carol Decker recently spent their New Years holiday on a Sports Traveler tour to the Tournament of Roses Parade and wrote in to let us know how it all went. They stayed in Marina Del Rey as part of the fully guided four-night Rose Parade tour package. One of the biggest highlights of their trip was a tour of LA, including a visit to Beverly Hills and the world-famous Rodeo Drive.  The day before the Rose Parade, the Decker family even went behind-the-scenes to look at the float decorating barns.

The Tournament of Roses Parade has been setting the standard in Pasadena, California since 1890, and for 128 years has proven to be one of the most popular ways to ring in the New Year. Floats covered in hundreds of thousands of flowers, shaped into intricately designed patterns, animals and shapes wind 5.5 miles throughout Southern California each New Years Day. The streets flood with parade fans of all ages, all watching in awe of the beauty and illusions the designers create.

The schedule makers struck gold this year.  This will be the fourth edition of the annual Cowboys Classic and I don't think we could have landed a better match-up.  These two historic programs have combined for over 1,700 wins and both rank in the top 10 all-time in wins and winning percentage (Michigan: 895 - .734, Alabama: 814 - .697).  Alabama (14) and Michigan (11) are also #3 and #4 respectively in national championships won by a college football program.  Needless to say, these are two of the most accomplished athletic programs in the history of collegiate sports.

The Crimson Tide and Wolverines have only met in three previous engagements.  The maize and blue have managed to grab the advantage 2 games to 1 in the limited but eventful all-time series.  The last meeting between these two teams was at the 2000 Orange Bowl.  Turned out to be a great game that needed extra time to decide the winner.  Michigan ended up the victor with a 35-34 victory in what would be the last collegiate game for some guy named Tom Brady.

The Cotton Bowl Classic has been a staple of the bowl series since the first annual game in 1937.  On January 6, 2012 this prestigious bowl will return to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX for the third time.  Last year's Cotton Bowl featured a great match-up between the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies.  In the end LSU prevailed 41-24 but it was an exciting game throughout.

With the addition of the Nebraska Cornhuskers early this spring, the Big 10 will now have a conference championship game for the first time.   On December 3, the winner of each division will play in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium to determine the Big 10 champion!

The Leaders & Legends divisions will comprise the Big 10 conference with 6 teams each.  Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, & Northwestern make up the Legends division. The Leaders division includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, & Wisconsin.

The city of Indianapolis will be the center of attention to determine who will be playing in the Rose Bowl or possibly the BCS Championship.  The atmosphere inside Lucas Oil Stadium for the inaugural Big 10 Championship Game will be more intense than it will be on TV.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to see this once in a lifetime event.

Sports Traveler is offering Big 10 Championship Game Packages for this inaugural event. 

As the hottest days of summer creep through the midwest this week, the smell of football begins to tickle the nose.  August is just around the corner and with it comes double and triple sessions for college football athletes around the country.  A brand new campaign will be starting soon so let us look ahead to the 2011 college football season and examine a few BCS favorites, strong conferences, and a few Heisman hopefuls. 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to travel to Dublin, Ireland for a September 1, 2012 game versus the Navy Midshipmen. This will be the first time that Notre Dame will be making this trip to the Emerald Island. Sports Traveler has set up two new Notre Dame Fan trips to help fans get there. Our first two trips sold out in less than 3 months before the summer began. Due to the unbelievable demand, we have been able to secure additional hotel rooms and tickets to this once in a lifetime event.

Below are the itineraries that are now confirmed for Wave 3 and 4 of this historic trip!

On September 3, the LSU Tigers will play the Oregon Ducks at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This game will feature a match-up between two of the most elite programs in college football today.

LSU vs. Oregon Travel Packages are now available today to see this great match-up. Start booking your package today with these inclusions:

- Accommodations in Arlington near Cowboys Stadium
- Guaranteed Tickets to the LSU vs. Oregon Game
- Ticket holder and lanyard
- All taxes and services

View Oregon vs. LSU Travel Packages

Any true Notre Dame or Navy fan already has September 1, 2011 circled on their calendar. That's when The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen take the field in Dublin, Ireland to renew an old battle on relatively new turf. The two football teams have been playing each other every season since 1927, making it the longest running uninterrupted non-conference series in college football. It doesn't seem like much of a rivalry as ND owns a 71-12-1 record, but Navy has won the last two match-ups. Maybe a change of venue is just what the Irish need to change their luck against their long-time rival.

It seems like a natural choice - Notre Dame taking their gridiron talents to the Emerald Isle - but it has only happened once before in the 124 year history of the prestigious Indiana school. Back in 1996, The Golden Domers topped Navy 54 to 27. The two again will meet in Dublin in a game dubbed the Emerald Isle Classic on September 1, 2011 at beautiful Aviva Stadium. Sports Traveler is offering fans of both

On November 20, the Northwestern Wildcats will be "hosting" the Univeristy of Illinois Fighting Illini at Wrigley Field in Chicago.  This has been a great Big 10 rivalry for many years, but this may be the biggest yet.  This will mark the first football game played at Wrigley Field since 1970 when the Bears were still calling it home. 

Wrigley Field has been the home to the Cubs since 1914 and has held many other events besides baseball and football.  Most recently, Wrigley Field was the host for the 2009 Winter Classic between the Blackhawks and Red Wings.

Sports Traveler will be offering tickets and travel packages to this great event.  Packages will include hotel accommodations in downtown Chicago, tickets to the game, transportation, and much more.  Check with Sports Traveler for updates on when the packages and game tickets will be available.

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