Fort Worth, Tex. — Even before the sun crept over the horizon, the streets of Fort Worth coursed red. Cardinal-clad Wisconsin Badgers supporters and crimson adorned Alabama fans filled the streets, pooling at the Sundance Square plaza at heart of downtown.
The marquee game of college football's opening weekend, a 7 p.m. clash 15 miles away at Arlington's AT&T Stadium between the 20th-ranked Badgers and No. 3 Crimson Tide, was more than 12 hours from kickoff when the first fans trickled into the plaza. Soon, hundreds more representing Wisconsin, Alabama, local powerhouse TCU and colleges across the country filled the 55,000 square foot plaza.