Special to the DM
Going to away games is a time for fun road trips and bonding with friends, but it can be expensive.
Saturday night, the No. 23 Rebels will take on the No. 25 Tigers. The Rebels are heading down to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Tickets for the LSU versus Ole Miss game are completely sold out on the Ole Miss tickets page, but students can still buy tickets for around $60 on StubHub.com, VividSeats.com or from a student ticket Facebook group.
“I have a set group of friends that I always go to games with, and we have gone to the LSU and Ole Miss games for the last few years. I am looking forward to beating them and winning the bowl again,” Kara Knapik, a senior journalism major, said.
Knapik has attended 10 away games during her student years. She said she thinks the SEC games are the best to attend because of the atmosphere and great school spirit.
Knapik said she usually spends close to $300 on away games. She carpools with friends to the games to save money. The group splits the cost of the gas and hotel equally among the group to help save money, according to Knapik.
Tiger Stadium is 336 miles away from the Ole Miss campus; the drive should take more than five hours to complete without stopping.
The average MPG for standard vehicles is 25.5, and gas prices are around $2 for Mississippi and Louisiana. However, the price is still 23 cents cheaper than the national average for gas, according to American Automobile Association. So, the gas to get to the game will be around $30.
Visitors may be able to find free public parking on Old Front Nine, Levee Lots, Hayfield Lots near the LSU Golf Course.
There is a parking fee in the area west of Highland Road to park near the stadium. Access is sold game-by-game on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost to park in this area for the Ole Miss game is $40 per vehicle. Additionally, utility trailers may be parked in the area for $50 each, according to LSU.
The larger bill for the game will be for lodging. A two-night stay at a hotel will cost a student between $130 and $300. However, game-day rooms tend to fill up quickly.
“I definitely think that tailgating in the Grove is way better than tailgating anywhere else that I’ve ever been. I love how close everyone is and how open and friendly people are,” Knapik said. “Other places I’ve been are really spread out, and people aren’t as friendly as Ole Miss fans are.”
Raylea Willoughby, a sophomore public policy major, said students have to know exactly where their friends are tailgating, since it is very spread-out, and the students tailgate at sorority and fraternity houses.
“You have to know exactly where you’re going at LSU, and you could be literally anywhere on campus or in any part of Baton Rouge and you have to find your people, whereas in the Grove, you just walk around the Grove, and you are bound to bump into your people eventually,” Willoughby said.
Willoughby has friends on the LSU team, but she said she will be rooting for the Rebels to get a back-to-back win for the first time in six years for Ole Miss.
Willoughby has a personal connection to LSU because her mom graduated from there. She has been attending LSU football games since she was 13 years old, but chose to attend Ole Miss for college.
“I will be wearing a red dress with a number 71 purple button. I really really want Ole Miss to win, but I want LSU to play well,” Willoughby said.
