Come the next bowl game, a new pin might be added to Mitchell’s collection, depending on the outcome of the 2009 Capital One Bowl, which kicks off at 1 p.m. today.

Mitchell and numerous relatives were enjoying the near 70-degree Florida weather as they waited for the No. 19 Spartans (9-3 overall) to arrive at the stadium to face No. 16 Georgia (9-3). While the sun and warmth were nice, John Mitchell Sr. said the environment as a whole was incredible.

“We never had the opportunity to see the band and players like this,” said Mitchell Sr., while comparing the Capital One Bowl to his Rose Bowl experience. “They’re both nice, but the venue, the Rose Bowl, is a little more sophisticated, I think.”

While there was plenty of action before kickoff with the Bowl-A-Palooza Fan Fest festivities, which went on all week, the fun and games were slowly dying down. Thousands of fans from both sides were lined up behind the Georgia band as they waited for the players to arrive at the stadium.

John Mitchell II, who was standing with his family on bleachers outside of Fan Fest, was helping usher in the Spartan Marching Band with chants of “Go Green, Go White!”

Mitchell II, who also brought his son John Mitchell III, a freshman at Chelsea High School, said the “amazing” environment was getting him ready for the game.

Mitchell said he thought the Spartans, who come into the game a big underdog, needed to stop Georgia junior quarterback Matthew Stafford in order to pull off the upset.

“If he gets time in the pocket and can sit there all day, we’re going to be in trouble,” Mitchell II said. “The (defensive line) needs to get up in there and pressure the quarterback; that Georgia quarterback is dynamite.”