Donald Johnson, of Newark, Ohio, bought a New Orleans travelpackage from an online travel agency that included hotel and airfarefor two.
Last week, Johnson, like several diehard Mountaineer footballfans, thought a trip to the BCS national championship game in NewOrleans was a shoo-in.
All WVU needed to do was beat the 4-7 Pittsburgh Panthers inMorgantown to secure a spot for the title game.
Easy enough.
So Johnson, 37, a Follansbee native, plunked down $839 lastTuesday for him and his wife to head to the Big Easy on a three-night, two-day venture.
For about $50 extra, he had the option of purchasing insurance onthe travel deal, in case he needed to back out and get a refund.
Insurance would've come in handy, considering the Panthers ruinedthe Mountaineers' shot at the national title after a 13-9 upset atMountaineer Field.
"When the Pitt punter ran out for a safety at the end of thegame, my wife looked at me and said, 'Well, I guess we can call thebroker and cancel because we got the insurance,'" Johnson said. "Isaid, 'Honey, I didn't buy the insurance.'"
Some Mountaineer fans such as Johnson, who jumped the gun andbought tickets to New Orleans, are now facing a predicament: What dothey do with their tickets?
WVU will be 1,500 miles away in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl,where they'll take on Oklahoma.
In New Orleans, it'll be Ohio State squaring off against LSU inthe Jan. 7 championship game.
"Since we live in central Ohio, everyone likes the Buckeyes,"Johnson said. "But I despise them. I told my wife I have no ambitionof going to that game. I'm going to the French Quarter anddrinking."
He'll tailgate all by his lonesome in blue-and-gold WVU gear ifhe has to.
Johnson, who said he felt like a size 12 boot crushed him in theface following Saturday's loss, always wanted to visit New Orleanswith his wife, anyway.
He had planned to buy a package for the couple's anniversary inNovember, but figured he could hold off and kill two birds with onestone if the Mountaineers ended up playing in New Orleans for thechampionship.
"The kids will be with the babysitter," Johnson said, "so we'llgo down, enjoy some Cajun food and have a good time.
"I can't be the only one still going down there. I'd like for agroup of Mountaineer fans to get together and have some drinks andsee what could've been."
Bob Harrison and five of his buddies each invested more than$1,000 for airfare, hotel accommodations and tickets to the BCSnational championship game in New Orleans.
They purchased game tickets for $725 a piece on Saturday, justhours before the Panthers knocked off the Mountaineers.
"We spent well over $1,000 after the ticket ($725), hotel ($1,050split two ways) and airfare ($280)," said Harrison, 31, ofHookstown, Pa. "It would have been worth it."
Harrison, a Weston native, works with high school students whoneed emotional support. He and his friends planned to fly out ofPittsburgh on Jan. 5 and return Jan. 8. Their plane tickets are non-refundable.
They're considering going anyway.
But if they can help it, they'll be out in Arizona insteadrooting on the likes of Pat White and Steve Slaton.
"We will be in New Orleans or the desert," Harrison said.
He's hoping to recoup some of his money by selling his ticket. Henoted that prices for tickets have shot up since Saturday.
"As of right now, we are still going (to New Orleans)," Harrisonsaid, "but we are going to look into maybe going to Arizona. Thiswas supposed to be a Christmas present to me from my wife, but itdidn't turn out too good.
"It will probably still be a good time, but it won't be the same.Actually, I'm sure I'll get a little irritated when I see Buckeyeand Tigers fans and knowing what could have been."
Message boards and online forums devoted to WVU sports have litup in the last week, particularly with heartache over theirmisfortune.
Several fans have posted their own personal stories of losingmoney on New Orleans.
One fan named 'sunnysideplaya' on BlueGoldNews.com, wrote, "ThatPITT Nightmare put me in a $230 hole Saturday with nothing to showfor it but a broken heart and lingering hangover.
"Now I cannot afford to go to another bowl game. This was myChristmas gift to myself and my nephews. Maybe if I write a niceletter to Rod, he can get me some tickets."
Contact writer Jake Stump at jakestump@dailymail.com or 348-4842.
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