As the No. 1 seed, Indiana will make its first Rose Bowl appearance in 59 years against Alabama on January 1. Indiana fans are so hyped for the game, and so is Tricia Whitaker, Indiana alum & MLB sideline reporter. She booked her flight to Pasadena to catch the action live, but was forced to encounter airport chaos due to the massive IU crowd.

Whitaker, who grew up as an Indiana fan, informed her fans on X that she will be in attendance at the Rose Bowl, supporting IU from the stands. “IU plays in the Rose Bowl this week, and I’m flying to LA on Tuesday, which feels illegal to say out loud,” she posted on X. 

Whitaker provided regular updates on her travel to Los Angeles, revealing multiple traveling challenges for the Rose Bowl game. The first challenge she faced was the abundant IU fans occupying the TSA PreCheck lines.

“I fly around 72 times a year,” wrote Whitaker. “Mostly out of Indy. Never in my existence have I seen the precheck line so long. Out into the commons area. IU fans are in abundance. See ya soon Pasadena, assuming I make my flight.”

While she overcame the PreCheck line, she learned that the flight was overbooked. Whitaker revealed that the Delta flight offered $1,500 as compensation for anyone willing to cancel their ticket, but fans weren’t going to pass up a once in a lifetime opportunity even for a hefty compensation fee.

“Update: TSA was easy. But my Delta flight just offered $1,500 for someone to give up their seat because this flight is wall-to-wall IU fans. No one has stood up yet. Midwesterners really said “Nope. Rose Bowl > $1500.”

After almost half an hour of delay, she reported that someone had finally taken the offer to cancel the ticket, expecting a timely departure. However, the saga continued with other external factors delaying her flight to Los Angeles.

“It is 15 degrees upon leaving Indy, and so we are now delayed for de-icing,” Whitaker wrote, after boarding the flight.

For Whitaker and other Indiana fans, making it to LA to possibly witness their team make history has been quite the odyssey. But considering the years of disappointment and what ifs fans have endured, it almost seems like nothing in comparison.

Tricia Whitaker’s long-time wait for Indiana

The emotion behind Whitaker’s travel to the Rose Bowl for the Indiana game is generational. She grew up as an IU fan, traveling to Indiana games, taking long drives from home with her dad since she was 8.

However, most of the time they returned with heartbreak. At one point, she even thought of giving up. However, seeing Indiana reach the places they had only dreamed of made it special for her and her dad.

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“Sentence I never thought I’d type in my lifetime: I’m going to the Rose Bowl with my dad in January to watch IU football,” wrote Tricia Whitaker on X, after Indiana made it to the College Football Playoff. “All those years, watching this team since I was 8, the long drives home after heartbreak, wondering why we cared so much… Getting to experience this with him means more than I can put into words. Unreal.”

This is a historical season in IU’s school history. Indiana won their first B1G championship since 1967 this year, had their first Heisman winner, Fernando Mendoza, and is now heading to the Rose Bowl with a mission to become national champions for the first time.

Indiana will be entering the Rose Bowl as a 7-point favorite against Alabama, as an undefeated 13-0 team, with the game kicking off on January 01 at 4:00 pm ET.