College Football Fans Swarm Arlington

Michigan, Alabama faithful expected to cause traffic headache around Cowboys Stadium

Tens of thousands of college football fans are in North Texas to see Michigan vs. Alabama at the Cowboys Stadium Classic on Saturday.

Fans have been camped out in RVs at the stadium since Wednesday.

One Alabama fan joked that he got here early “to make sure Michigan [fans] knew we were here.” He had his tailgate set up by Wednesday afternoon.

Another Crimson Tide fan told NBC 5 he drove nine hours from Alabama, “straight across I-20 through Hurricane Isaac to get here. It was a lot of rain and wind, but I made it.”

Several Wolverine fans who were tailgating in the parking lot Friday morning said they got into Arlington Thursday night after a 1,200-mile trek from Michigan.

The Arlington Police Department said traffic on Saturday is expected to be less than cooperative because many of the fans are from out of town and don’t know the area.

The department will tweet up-to-date details about the traffic flow and problematic areas around the stadium.

Several fans said they were looking forward to attending a game at Cowboys Stadium.

"I remember hearing about it when it was being built," said Adam Wauligman, of Cincinnati. "I'm an NFL fan, and it's a huge stadium, a screen, and I've just always wanted to see inside of it."

Wauligman donned a Michigan football jersey along with his buddies in Lot 14 a couple of blocks from the stadium. But he's not a die-hard Wolverines fan; he dislikes SEC teams and is rooting against Alabama, he said. Wauligman said the chance to see a game inside JerryWorld is what got him down to Arlington.

His friend, Jason Hugentobler, also said he couldn't wait to see Cowboys Stadium.

Caro English, whose daughter goes to Alabama, was also in town for her first game inside Cowboys Stadium. English, of Georgia, was taking pictures of the stadium from the RV lot and said she would be snapping a lot more from the inside.

"[I] can't wait -- only seen it on television, and can't wait to get in there and see those huge screens and all the people," she said.

Fans are encouraged to arrive to the game as early as possible to avoid the last-minute rush. Parking lots at the stadium open up at noon. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Arlington police also encourage fans who are unfamiliar with Arlington roadways to use this link for multiple directions to visit DallasCowboysMaps.com for directions instead of using GPS or navigation devices because such devices will put all drivers on the same route.

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