Ole Miss football fans on 'once-in-a-lifetime' journey following Rebels to Fiesta Bowl
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PHOENIX — For many Ole Miss football fans, the Rebels’ appearance in the Fiesta Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) is in the midst of its first CFP run and will face No. 10 Miami (12-2) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m. CT) with the hopes of moving onto the national championship. If they make it, the Rebels will face Indiana or Oregon in Miami on Jan. 19.
Ole Miss has three national championships – the most recent in 1962 – but the Rebels have never appeared in a national championship game. Dedicated Ole Miss fans have followed the Rebels 1,884 miles from Oxford, to New Orleans and now to Phoenix to cheer on their CFP run.
“I’ve never been in this position,” Ole Miss fan Bo Baxter told the Clarion Ledger. “It’s hard to be an Ole Miss fan. For years, you get right there and then you get knocked down two notches. So, it’s just hard to be an Ole Miss fan, and this year, we love it.”
Baxter traveled with his wife, Stephanie, from Tupelo, Mississippi. Their travel experience mirrors that of many Rebel fans who made the trip to watch Ole Miss beat Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. The rarity of the Rebels’ success ensured the Baxters would be in attendance to watch their favorite team, regardless of the distance.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation,” Stephanie Baxter said. “Never been in this situation, not in our lifetime. And we wanted to make sure we could see it.”
Despite the “chunk of change” it cost the Baxters to travel to New Orleans and Phoenix, Bo Baxter said it’s “more than likely” they’ll make the trip south to Miami if Ole Miss advances to the championship game.
“We’re still thinking about that one,” Stephanie Baxter said.
Her husband continued: “We’ll cross that road when we get there.”
Nightly rates for Hilton and Marriott properties in the area have already surpassed $250 with both spots in the game still up for grabs. Prices for round trip flights from Jackson to Miami start at $549. The cheapest game ticket available on Ticketmaster costs $2,892.
It’ll be up to new coach Pete Golding, star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the rest of Ole Miss’ squad to make the Baxters’ trip – and many other people’s journey out west – worth the hassle.
“Our whole plane was Ole Miss,” Bo Baxter said. “There was 80 people on that plane, and I bet 70 of them were Ole Miss. We were ‘hotty toddying’ on the plane.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football fans describe journey with Rebels to Fiesta Bowl
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