COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — ESPN's College GameDay descended upon Kyle Field, transforming the Texas A&M campus into a sea of maroon, white, and orange as fans from both the Aggies and Miami Hurricanes gathered to show their support ahead of Saturday's College Football Playoff showdown.
Watch the full story here:
The massive crowd at Aggie Park showed no signs of diminishing as fans from both teams celebrated what marks a historic moment for Texas A&M – the program's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
"Beautiful, man. I'll be honest, this is what it's about. This is what college football is about. It's what sports is about bringing everybody out from no matter where you're from," said Julio Mendoza, a Hurricane fan who made the trip from Miami.
Aggie fans packed the area early, eager to witness their team's playoff debut. The energy was palpable as longtime supporters mixed with newcomers to the Aggie family.
"We have a lot of former Aggies and current here, and new ones, little babies coming, so I'm super excited that everyone's here ready," said Emma Peterson, an Aggie fan.
The national spotlight brought by College GameDay has fans from both sides optimistic about their team's chances in the high-stakes matchup between the Hurricanes and the Aggies.
"I think it's going to be close, really good team in Miami, 10th ranked, but I think we're going to come home with the win," said Jackson Marshall, an Aggie fan.
Miami fans who made the journey to College Station found themselves welcomed with open arms, despite standing out in the sea of maroon and white.
"People have been treating us greatly, you know, we're from Miami 305, it's a different atmosphere for us, but at the end of the day we're having a great time to join in with the brotherhood," Mendoza said.
Robert Quiles, another Hurricane fan, echoed those sentiments about the hospitality.
"I love the atmosphere again, everybody's been so nice. We feel like this is home, you know, so great time," Quiles said.
Despite wearing different colors, both fan bases share similar hopes heading into kickoff – a great game and the chance to be part of college football history.
"The win would be amazing, but I'd be happy with just a great game and having a great time in this amazing stadium," said Cooper Hazday, a Hurricane fan.
Peterson summed up the Aggie faithful's excitement: "Energy is high. The 12th man's definitely here."
Regardless of Saturday's outcome, fans from both teams expressed their excitement about being part of Texas A&M's historic playoff moment and supporting their respective programs on college football's biggest stage.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
