COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Going to the Rose Bowl to see your team play is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people. Of course, the football game is the main event, but that trip comes with many other experiences like the Rose Parade, time on the west coast and forming connections. NBC4 spoke with a group of fans who didn’t know each other before this week, but now they will always have these memories together that they will never forget. Kim Saunders has worked for Ohio State’s medical center for years. She and her husband, Kevin, have never been to the Rose Bowl, but this year they decided to check that off their bucket list. Live updates: Ohio State takes on Oregon in rematch at the Rose Bowl “When I put in for the tickets, I sent him a picture from work and I was like, 'Is that us, are we going?' We were like, 'California, we’re coming,'” Kim Saunders said. The Saunders are not experiencing the day’s festivities alone; in fact, they are experiencing it with a bus full of other Buckeyes. "This is the stuff you only see on TV,” Kevin Saunders said. They said their alarm clocks went off around 3:30 a.m., they loaded onto the bus by 5:30, then headed to the Rose Parade to get a prime spot.  “We are just going from one thing to the next. So early morning and a late night but it will all be worth it when we get that 'W," Kim Saunders said. New central Ohio restaurants opening in 2025 Also along for this Buckeye bus experience is Mike Seibel. He is celebrating his 77th birthday on the day of the Rose Bowl. “We’ve made great friends and my grandson is marching in the Rose Parade and also at the football game. This is our first opportunity to come to the Rose Bowl. It’s always been a life long dream and I figured at 77 and my grandson marching I better get here,” Seibel said. His grandson is a trumpet player in The Best Damn Band in the Land. He’s also had the chance to meet parents of his grandson’s friends on the bus whose kids are also in The Ohio State University marching band.  “We are excited to be in Pasadena. I hope I can get through the parade and the game without too many tears in my eyes. I’ll be thinking of my mom. Years and years ago we used to watch the rose parade on tv,” Seibel said. These Buckeye fans say this is an experience they will always cherish. They're all confident the Buckeyes will have their revenge over the Ducks.