PHILADELPHIA -- Showing up at the airport to head to Los Angeles, you can see Penn State presence is clear. There are racks of t-shirts for sale as you head to board a flight at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport.
It was a snowy start for a trip to sunny southern California for fans heading west on Thursday morning, but crews cleared the runway.
Decked out Penn State fans were easy to pick out during our layover in Philadelphia. Jeff and Deb Smith from Lewisburg aren't just fans though, they're parents to a Nittany Lion player, Brandon Smith.
"We had decided we were going to whatever bowl. And Rose Bowl, you can't get any better than that," said Jeff Smith. "We're thrilled, it's a chance of a lifetime for the kids to play at the Rose Bowl and we're just thrilled to go out and enjoy it with him."
Their son went to Penn State as a walk on but stepped into a big role when the team needed a linebacker.
"We can't even begin to tell you. He's worked so hard his whole life. Playing for Penn State has been a dream and now he's getting to live that dream and we're so excited for him and his wife Andrea," said Brandon's mother, Deb.
So of course Mom and Dad had to make their way from Union County to Los Angeles. They say they're living the dream as well.
Deb told us that not going wasn't an option, saying the couple said wherever the team went, they were going.
"It's huge. These are things dreams are made of, going to the Rose Bowl, playing, you pray a lot for him that he's healthy and the team is ready to go," Jeff said.