New Orleans Title Game Diary: Scene Two

Spencer Hall is in New Orleans for the buildup to the BCS Title Game, covering the buzz and hubbub leading up to the game.
First open beer seen in hand today? 9:30 a.m. CST, seen in the hands of an LSU fan with a handlebar mustache.
The pace is quickening: There are more fans of every kind milling around, including a noticeable uptick in the number of LSU fans, who should be here in force since a game in New Orleans is practically a home game for the Tigers.
Last night the Sheraton provided more evidence of this advantage:
[img=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2085/2168938851_6607c90356_m.jpg]
Fear the hat.
Yet Ohio State fans have turned this game into a pilgrimage of sorts: young, old, families...they brought everyone but the dog, seemingly. Actually, we saw two OSU families with the dog today, so scratch that last statement. They’re a bowl planner’s dream: they travel like the Mongolian Horde and buy booze and food by the shovelful. In addition to this, they’ve been extraordinarily well-behaved, according to a group of extremely talkative New Orleans cops in the Quarter I spoke with this a.m.
This family atmosphere might also explain why the Buckeye fans sitting with beads on balconies aren’t demanding flashes of nudity for a reward of beads, but this will break down as the kids go to bed and and Buckeyes pick up local holiday customs quickly. (32 ounce beers to go should help, too.)
Random, potentially meaningless omen of the day: I paid a tarot card reader to predict the game this morning on Jackson Square, and the stars do not bode well for the LSU Tigers, according to her reading. The “Wheel of Fortune” card was upside down, indicating a close but certain defeat for Les Miles’ team. She also told me I had financial success in my future, so take that all with an extremely hefty grain of salt.
Seen running around Jackson Square: Tigers defensive coordinator and the new coach of Nebraska Bo Pelini, who chugged by the tarot table just as the reader announced LSU was going to lose. If we hadn’t recognized him, we would have thought he was an MMA fighter training for a fight: he’s in awesome shape. If Nebraska gets nothing else from him, they’ll get the fittest coaching staff in college football.
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