Every single member of the Penn State community knows who I am.

I'm that guy. You know, the one who didn't get football tickets this year. The one who says he won't mind missing the Michigan game "because of the great shots on television."

It's been two home games since that day I found out I would have no season tickets. Looking back on it, I can't say that I'm still all that upset.

I'm serious. Hear me out.

The morning of Sept. 2, I was busy in downtown State College, buying brand new decorations for my brand new apartment.

The plan was to host a surprise birthday party for my good friend immediately after the game.

As I was walking back to the apartment with my goodies, the sky began to open up.

My away message was flooded with people asking if I was still watching the game at home. The rain was enough to drive away hordes of the Nittany Lion faithful.

By kickoff, I had gotten comfortable in front of the television with a six-pack (of mountain dew) and enough nachos and salsa to fill the Orange Bowl (terrible joke -- I'm sorry.)

Apparently, I made enough noise to alert my neighbors that I was indeed watching the game. A few of the strangers stopped by, introduced themselves and got comfortable.

By the time the Nittany Lions pulled into South Bend, I had become a pro at hosting a football afternoon. Food and beverages were available to the 30-plus people we had over and stadium music favorites were plentiful.

Last weekend, I decided to try something else. I had yet to visit my friend's tailgate as I had every home game last year. I set off for the Beaver Stadium parking lot.

The words "free food" are audible gold to all college students, but for those recently cut off from the dining commons, the words are pure platinum. Just as I was getting ready to pack up and head home for kickoff, I managed to secure a ticket to the game for face value. I wasn't going to be sitting with the usual group, nor was I getting into the stadium as early as I would have liked and yes, we were playing a I-AA team, but I was back.

I've come to accept that I won't be so lucky with when Michigan comes. I won't get a senior student ticket for $23. But a little financial issue hasn't ruined my fun before.

Instead of spending more than $200 to see the game, I plan on spending $20 on a new tent and a flashlight. Then I'm going back to the highlight of last season -- Paternoville.

So what if I camp out for a week just to go home to watch the game?

Sure, we're not perfect and some people have made mistakes in the past. But when you're one of hundreds of people singing and tossing the football under parking lot lights, praying that JoePa stops by again or some alumnus brings you 14 pizzas, everything else just seems to fade away.