What it will take to follow the Buckeyes to Atlanta

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Ohio State Buckeyes have traveled over 6,500 miles so far in the College Football Playoffs. They'll add another 1,200 miles when they journey to Atlanta, Georgia this week for the National Championship game. 

Buckeye fans have been racking up the miles, too. It takes a lot of time, planning, and money to follow their favorite team across the country.  

Local travel agent Emily Koester said that even though it may be a short notice trip to follow the Buckeyes to Atlanta, it shouldn't be an impossible task. 

"Obviously it's going to be busy,” she said. “There's not going to be a lot of options, but really, it's not that difficult to do.” 

"Where I would start is accommodations,” Koester added. “I would find a place that you can stay. I would search for hotels or rentals or just find somewhere to stay. Tickets are there. You know, you're going to be able to get a ticket to get in.” 

Hotels in the downtown Atlanta area near Mercedes Benz Stadium are pricey, with many of them well more than $1,000 a night. 

"Look outside the city a little bit; look at rentals as well,” Koester said. “If you're not really finding what you want on a hotel website, look. You could always look for a rental option.” 

Koester had several other tips for travelers to Atlanta that could come in handy in any traveling situation.  

"If you are finding a better price out there, you can always call the hotel, see if they'll do a price match guarantee for you," she said. “Worst they can do is say ‘no.’” 

Koester spoke from experience when she said, "I would check in and I would secure that room because sometimes hotels do oversell, do overbook."  

Her experience traveling to an Ohio State football game against Purdue in West Lafayette ended with a Buckeyes loss, and a hotel not having their room reserved.  

"Check into your flight as soon as you possibly can, and I would check into your hotel as soon as you possibly can," Koester said.  

When it comes to flights, Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines both have multiple direct flights from Columbus to Atlanta. Those flights still have availability but will cost you over $850 for Southwest and around $1,300 for Delta.  

To try to make your travels headache-free, Koester said, "I would book it directly on the airlines websites. I would stay away from some of those third-party websites only because when it comes, if you need to make changes, add anything, cancel for any reason, you're going to want to deal with the airline themselves." 

Unlike the first two College Football Playoff road games for the Buckeyes, this one is much more drivable. Mercedes Benz Stadium is about 600 miles from The Shoe, about an eight- or nine-hour drive. Filling up the gas tank a few times will cost significantly less than a plane ticket for frugal-minded fans.  

Tickets to the National Championship can be found for sale on any number of third-party websites. Ohio State football season ticket holders have an opportunity to buy tickets through the University as well. 

The "get-in" price as of Sunday night on StubHub was around $1,600 before taxes.  

No matter if you are booking airfare, a hotel or buying tickets to the game, Koester said, "Before you purchase anything, do another little quick search, try to see if there's any promo codes, anything to bring that cost down even more."