CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's almost game day in Charlotte, and fans are gearing up for the kickoff of the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl.

The West Virginia Mountaineers will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bank of America Stadium.

For one WVU fan, being a fan is a lifestyle.

What You Need To Know

  •  At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, West Virginia will take on North Carolina at the Bank of America Stadium

  •  The game will bring in hundreds of fans from different states

  •  A WVU fan, Jaci Didier, says her family has owned season tickets for over 40 years

Christmas might be over, but in Jaci Didier’s house the tree stays up year round.

As her mom says, it’s not your typical tree, it’s a Mountaineers tree, a love for the school that grew by age 3.

"We've had season tickets for 40 years. I don't remember a fall growing up without being in Morgantown. I know as much about football as most men you meet, because I was an only granddaughter to my grandfather who played football at WVU. So I was brought up in the sport, the love of it, and even when moving to Charlotte, I knew there were a lot of us here," Didier said. 

She says the Mountaineers traditions started with her parents, who introduced her to the true meaning of tailgating.

"My parents have a huge tailgate in West Virginia every single game. It's three families, four families that do it together, and we have about 50 to 70 people at every tailgate," Didier said.

That love for the gold and blue is being passed down to her kids.

"By 2, she could sing 'Country Roads,' she knew it by heart. Now she can almost sing the whole song. I think it's just, you know, something that brings you together with your family, something to sit and watch, something to care about," Didier said. 

But it’s not just the excitement she shares with seeing her team play at home. She says it’s also the impact the game will have on Charlotte.

"We'll have a lot of people heading south on (Interstate) 77 to be here for the game. So it's just the economic impact ... how many people will be here, since there aren't really tailgate spots anymore, how many bars, how many restaurants around the stadium? The hotels will benefit from the influx," Didier said.

Looking at her diploma, she says the team holds a special place in her heart.

"It's always been such a big part of my life and a part of who I am ... but when you move somewhere like this, and there's so many of you, and it's such an active alumni group, you get to make friends all over again from college, and it just keeps your love of that university even stronger," Didier said.