Greetings Everyone,

Back in July, I decided to see what Big 10 football was all about... I put together a plan to visit every Big 10 school over 11 weekends as an unbiased spectator.  I went from a naive/casual college football fan to becoming more addicted to this sport than ever before! 
 
This was my most challenging life venture to date as doing it over 11 straight weekends while holding down a 60-hour-per-week job and trying to manage 3-4 other guys who joined me on this tour (none of which made it the whole way through).  It may sound nuts, but completing 11 weekends of college football was more trying than 30 NBA arenas or 30 MLB stadiums.
 
So all that being said, I've awarded my "Best of the Big 10 Awards."  Clearly, I have no credibility on any of these subjects and I was likely influenced by the quality of the game, the weather, and the people around me.  For what it's worth, here is what I thought was the best (http://www.thebig10tour.com/bests.html) in a variety of categories.
 
I am grateful to all of the Gopher fans that I met in Minneapolis, namely from the Goal Line Club.  I've definitely made some lasting friendships with many Minnesota fans that you'll see throughout the blog (www.THEbig10tour.com) and I'll never forget how the Gophers had Cal reeling in the 4th quarter of that week 3 game.  Despite the loss, I was able to see them get the "W" the following week at Northwestern where I met up with many of the fans I had met in Minneapolis (http://www.thebig10tour.com/minnesota.html).
 
Drew
11 stadiums/11 weekends
www.THEbig10tour.com

Greetings everyone,

Back in July, I decided to see what Big 10 football was all about... I put together a plan to visit every Big 10 school over 11 weekends as an unbiased spectator.  I went from a naive/casual college football fan to becoming more addicted to this sport than ever before! 
 
This was my most challenging life venture to date as doing it over 11 straight weekends while holding down a 60-hour-per-week job and trying to manage 3-4 other guys who joined me on this tour (none of which made it the whole way through).  It may sound nuts, but completing 11 weekends of college football was more trying than 30 NBA arenas or 30 MLB stadiums.
 
So all that being said, I've awarded my "Best of the Big 10 Awards."  Clearly, I have no credibility on any of these subjects and I was likely influenced by the quality of the game, the weather, and the people around me.  For what it's worth, here is what I thought was the best (http://www.thebig10tour.com/bests.html) in a variety of categories.
 
I am grateful to all of the MSU fans that I met in East Lansing.  I've definitely made some lasting friendships with many Spartan fans.  My only regret is that I didn't see more of Michigan State during the tour....I will certainly try to make it back next year and hopefully to a few Spartan road games
 
Drew
11 stadiums/11 weekends
www.THEbig10tour.com

Greetings everyone,

Back in July, I decided to see what Big 10 football was all about... I put together a plan to visit every Big 10 school over 11 weekends as an unbiased spectator.  I went from a naive/casual college football fan to becoming more addicted to this sport than ever before! 
 
This was my most challenging life venture to date as doing it over 11 straight weekends while holding down a 60-hour-per-week job and trying to manage 3-4 other guys who joined me on this tour (none of which made it the whole way through).  It may sound nuts, but completing 11 weekends of college football was more trying than 30 NBA arenas or 30 MLB stadiums.
 
So all that being said, I've awarded my "Best of the Big 10 Awards."  Clearly, I have no credibility on any of these subjects and I was likely influenced by the quality of the game, the weather, and the people around me.  For what it's worth, here is what I thought was the best (http://www.thebig10tour.com/bests.html) in a variety of categories.
 
I am grateful to all of the PSU fans that I met in Happy Valley, Champaign, and Ann Arbor.  I've definitely made some lasting friendships with many Lion fans that you'll see throughout the blog (www.THEbig10tour.com) and I'll never forget how the PSU fans overshadowed the home crowd at the Big House on 10/ 24 and I hope to tailgate and share travel stories with the Penn-Staters next year!
 
Drew
11 stadiums/11 weekends
www.THEbig10tour.com

So amidst all of this hoopla today that the Big 10 will pursue a twelfth team and add a conference championship game, and one of the leading candidates seems to be Cincinnati. 

So as a guy who spent his fall traveling to every Big 10 campus on his own dime, I would certainly welcome Cincinnati to the Big 10 – but I’m curious – how do the Bearcats feel?  Would they welcome the addition to the Big 10?

Us Big 10 fans can only dream of an additional team for now...but hey, if you'd care to take a look at the campuses/venues/traditions that you could be traveling to over the next few years, here's a recap of my fall traveling "big 10 country" from the average joe perspective:

www.THEbig10tour.com

Drew

So amidst all of this hoopla today that the Big 10 will pursue a twelfth team and add a conference championship game, the only addition that I find at all appealing would be Kansas.  The entirely new market, the positive nationwide reputation, and great academic standards...

So as a guy who spent his fall traveling to every Big 10 campus on his own dime, I would certainly welcome Kansas into the fold...but why on earth would Kansas consider leaving the Big 12?

Us Big 10 fans can only dream...but hey, if you'd care to take a look at the campuses/venues/traditions that you could be traveling to over the next few years, here's a recap of my fall traveling "big 10 country" from the average joe perspective:

www.THEbig10tour.com

Drew

So amidst all of this hoopla today that the Big 10 will pursue a twelve team and add a conference championship game, the only addition that I find at all appealing would be Nebraska.  The entirely new market, the positive nationwide reputation, and great academic standards...

So as a guy who spent his fall traveling to every Big 10 campus on his own dime, I would certainly welcome Nebraska into the fold...but why on earth would Nebraska consider leaving the Big 12?

Us Big 10 fans can only dream...but hey, if you'd care to take a look at the campuses/venues/traditions that you could be traveling to over the next few years, here's a recap of my fall traveling "big 10 country" from the average joe perspective:

www.THEbig10tour.com

Drew

Indiana Fans,

Wow!  Was my visit to Bloomington a pleasant surprise!  The stadium was beautiful, the fans were phenomenal, and the tailgating was the best I've seen at any school to date!  Thank you to all Hoosier fans that showed us a good time while visiting Indiana.

I posted my recap of my visit to Indiana at the link below if you care to take a look

http://www.thebig10tour.com/indiana.html

Can't wait to return to see a baskeball game!

Take care,

Drew Cieszynski

Badger Fans,

My sincere apologies for the delay in getting this posted.  Thank you for all of your emails reminding me on how tardy I am in getting this post up.

So finally my recap on my trip to Madison has been posted:

http://www.thebig10tour.com/wisconsin.html

I want to thank everyone for all of their feedback on what to see/do while in Madison.  Best of luck to you in the bowl game...I intend on coming back for the February 6th outdoor hockey game against Michigan

Take Care,

Drew Cieszynski

Previous links
http://www.thebig10tour.com/penn-state.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/michigan-state.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/minnesota.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/northwestern.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/illinois.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/iowa.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/purdue.html
http://www.thebig10tour.com/michigan.html

Michigan Fans,

Wanted to thank everyone for all of their information and help in showing us a great time while in Ann Arbor!

I've posted our recap on Michigan here: http://www.thebig10tour.com/michigan.html

Unfortunately I didn't get to see as much as I wanted to because one of our guys was whining to get home (& I've subsequently removed him from the balance of the tour), but the campus was the best I've seen to date and the stadium and tailgating lots were probably one of the bests as well.

To all of the Michigan fans I met at the Iowa game and also at the Penn State game, thank you for everything.  Ann Arbor will clearly be a repeat visit in years to come!

Don't forget to check out some of our other Big 10 Stadium recaps at www.THEbig10tour.com

Thanks again,

Drew Cieszynski

Hoosier Fans,

This coming weekend, myself and a group of friends will be visiting Bloomington as the TENTH stop on our 11 stadium “Big 10 Tour.”  We’re trying to visit all 11 schools in 11 straight weekends to experience the tailgating, the people, the game, and the sights of each campus.

You can see the recaps of my 9 previous stops at www.THEbig10tour.com, but my question to all of you is

I’m asking Hoosier fans: What would you recommend seeing/doing if you had 24 hours in Bloomington?  Any great sights to get a photo with?  Any great foods that must be tried?  Bars that are necessary to stop and have a drink?

If anyone has suggestions on where to tailgate or even wants to join our tailgate party (we’ll have bean bags, ladder toss, flip cup, pong, etc), feel free to contact me through our website.

Thanks

Drew Cieszynski

THE Big 10 Football Tour

www.THEbig10tour.com

Wisconsin fans,

Myself and 3 friends who are in no way affliated with the Big 10 currently live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  We are trying to travel to all 11 Big Ten schools over 11 straight weekends this season (www.THEbig10tour.com).  None of us graduated from a Big 10 school & have relatively little Big 10 experience.  Currently living in Milwaukee, we work Mon-Fri & then get in our car and travel to each school on our own dime.

We love the fact that next weekend is finally a "home game" for us as we only have to travel 80 miles west to Madison

While in Madison, we'll be looking for the best fan, the best shirt, best tailgate and more this weekend.  We'll have Badger bean bags, Badge ladder toss, and a Badger pong table, so if any fans want to get together to tailgate and share some Wisconsin stories/experiences, please contact me through our site.  Also, we're looking for suggestions on what to see/do while in Madison????

Here's to making Madison the best stop of our tour!!!!!!

Thanks

Drew Cieszynski

The (real) Big 10 Football Tour

www.THEbig10tour.com

Hello Michigan Fans,

We met a lot of you while in Iowa 2 weeks ago (in fact Michigan fans outnumbered Iowa fans 3 to 1 in the Finkbine lot) & you mentioned stopping by this message board prior to our visit.

Myself and 3 friends who are in no way affliated with the Big 10 are trying to travel to all 11 Big Ten schools over 11 straight weekends this season (www.THEbig10tour.com).  None of us graduated from a Big 10 school & have relatively little Big 10 experience.  Currently living in Milwaukee, we work Mon-Fri & then get in our car and travel to each school on our own dime.

Those Spartan fans showed us a good time while in East Lansing, so I would imagine that the time in Ann Arbor can only be better?!?!

We'll be looking for the best fan, the best shirt, best tailgate and more this weekend.  We'll have Wolverine bean bags, Wolverine ladder toss, and a Wolverine pong table, so if any fans want to get together to tailgate and share some Michigan stories/experiences, please contact me through our site.  Also, we're looking for suggestions on what to see/do while in Ann Arbor and if anyone is selling tickets, we're looking for those too!

 You'll probably note on the site, that we really dislike Penn State (http://www.thebig10tour.com/penn-state.html), so here's to a Wolverine victory!

Thanks

Drew Cieszynski

The (real) Big 10 Football Tour

www.THEbig10tour.com

Iowa fans,

Wanted to stop by and say thanks for such a great time last weekend! 

We had a blast in Iowa City and posted our photos and reviews!  The 4 hour road trip and $100 tickets were well worth it to see Iowa stay undefeated and witness a beautiful city!

Check out our recap at: http://www.thebig10tour.com/iowa.html

We'll see you in Columbus on 11/14 and who knows...maybe at the Rose Bowl?

Thanks again!

Drew

THE Big 10 Tour

www.THEbig10tour.com

Hi everyone,

Our visit to Champaign has been posted: http://www.thebig10tour.com/illinois.html

That was our 5th stop of the Big 10 tour (www.THEbig10tour.com)

I want to give Illinois another shot and visit on 12/5 against Fresno

don't know what it was, but it wasn't our best experience to date.  Could have been the weather or the fact that we couldn't get many Illini fans to join us.

thanks to all that helped

drew

Iowa fans,

No, we don't get paid to do this.  No, we don't take a chartered bus from stop to stop like the guys from the Big 10 network.  Yes, we work jobs Monday - Friday and make less then 40K annually.

We're group of guys who live in Milwaukee (2 orignally from Iowa and still Hawkeye fans) are traveling to every Big 10 school to see a game this year.  11 straight weekends of roadtrips, tailgating, college football games, trying the local fare and seeing the local sites!

This weekend, we come to Iowa City.  We'll be tailgating on "the hill" off riverside.  Come join us. Have a beer on us.  Play our Iowa bean bags, Hawkeye ladder toss, or participate in our flip-cup tournament on our Iowa pong table.

We are forever thankful for your victory over Penn State. Today we were featured in the Daily Iowan (http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/10/08/Sports/13459.html).  We fully expect Iowa to be our best stop.  If you have any suggestions for us while we are in Iowa city or want to join us for some tailgating, contact us via our website (www.THEbig10tour.com)

Thanks - Go Hawkeyes, Beat Michigan!

Drew Cieszynski

www.THEbig10tour.com

Illini fans,

I'm visiting Champaign for the first time EVER this weekend as the 5th stop on my BIG TEN football tour.

I work for the Bergner's department store Mon-Fri, but every weekend I travel to a different Big 10 School to tailgate, see college football, meet the fans,  and see the local sights.  I'm trying to do this over 11 straight weekends

www.THEbig10tour.com

I'll probably be in one of the "average joe" gameday lots this weekend, but if you'd like to join me, I'll have Illini bean bags, Illini ladder toss, an Illini pong table as well as beer and Red Bull on hand.

I'd love to meet some Illinois fans in hopes of finding the "best fan" and "best tshirt" (as well as a bunch of other "bests") of the weekend

Please contact me if you'd like to suggest anything to see or do in champaign or if you'd like to join our tailgate.  I think we'll be in a lot near Kirby st?

Thanks everyone

Drew

THE Big 10 Tour

www.THEbig10tour.com

Northwestern fans,

We, the members of the real BIG TEN TOUR, just wanted to say thank you for showing us an unbelievable time in Evanston last weekend!

Northwestern is clearly the hidden gem of the Big 10.  We will be back often next year for some more great tailgating!  You are the best people we've met to date!

To see our recap on Northwestern, visit
http://www.thebig10tour.com/northwestern.html

Thanks again,

Drew
www.THEbig10tour.com
"11 stadiums/11 weekends"

Hi big 10 fans,

Myself and a few other guys from Milwaukee are trying to visit all 11 Big Ten Schools this season over 11 straight weekends while holding down a full time job.  I'm sure it's been done before, but being that none of us actually attended a Big 10 school & won't claim to have any knowledge about anything, we have a fairly unique and fun take on things.

Check it out: www.THEbig10tour.com

We've visited Penn State, Michigan Stae, and Minnesota (recap not posted yet) so far, but if you have any suggestions for the other 8 Big Ten schools, please let us know!

Drew

The Big 10 Tour

http://twitter.com/big10drew

Well, thank you once again Penn State for what will probably be the most fun weekend of my travels.

I've just posted my recap of our visit to Happy Valley, so you can see it here:

http://www.thebig10tour.com/penn-state.html

Maybe Penn State will be the best stop, you can follow the balance of our Big 10 visits at www.THEbig10tour.com

thank you everyone for your advice, your help, and more

Drew Cieszynski

Everyone,

Thank you so much for all of your feedback on what to see and do in Penn State!  I now have a laundry list of things to see and do next weekend when I kick off my BIG TEN football tour in Penn State!  I'm sure it'll be my most memorable visit of the season.  I hope to have the recap of my visit up at www.THEbig10tour.com by Sept 10.  If anyone wants to be our "Best Fan," has the "Best T-shirts," or "Best Tailgate," be sure to track us down so we can feature you on the site!

Keep in mind that I'll also see PSU at Illinois and at the BIG HOUSE, so if anyone is traveling to these games, please get in touch w/ me

In an interview at FirstandBigTen.com, I made the Nittany Lions my pick for the BIG TEN champion, so hopefully I'll see them a 4th time this year at the Rose Bowl!!! (http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/first-and-big-ten/2009/08/11-stadiums-in-11-weeks-four-big-ten-fans-plan-trip-of-a-lifetime.html)!

Thanks again

Drew

www.THEbig10tour.com

Hey everyone,

I'm a 27 year old chump living in Milwaukee (originally from York, PA) and this season I'm doing a "Big 10 Football Tour."  For 11 straight weekends, traveling to each Big 10 stadium to tailgate and watch a game ... all on my own dime.

I'll be sharing my travels with the world at www.THEbig10tour.com

My questions for all of you...what to see and do while at PSU? What to eat? What to watch for during the game? Where's the post game entertainment? Kindly email me suggestions to acieszyn@hotmail.com or use the "Contact Us" link on my site.  Will Penn State be the best?

Also, if anyone knows how to get tickets at a reasonable price (this is going to be an expensive undertaking!), I'd appreciate that feedback as well.

If any of your friends enjoy the college game, please forward them my web address.

Many thanks

Drew Cieszynski

www.THEbig10tour.com