BOCA RATON, Fla. – They've traveled by air. They've driven rental cars. They've even taken a boat.
For Scott Ostlund and his entourage, their destination is the journey.
Tuesday's travels took them to South Florida, where they watched UAB defeat Northern Illinois 37-13 in the Boca Raton Bowl.
But to understand how they got there, a preamble is necessary.
Ostlund, Mike Arnold ("Big Ern," as he calls himself), Jared Murayama and Brian Richardson live in California and are avid USC fans. But they found themselves starved for a bowl game after the Trojans finished with a losing season for the first time since 2011.
It was during a telephone conversation with Arnold that Ostlund let his friend know he was depressed they'd be staying home for the holidays.
So Arnold had a suggestion.
"He said, 'Well, let's go to another bowl game,'" Ostlund told Local10.com.
But Ostlund had a better idea.
"I said, 'Let's go to them all,'" he recalled.
Then they mentioned it to Richardson and Murayama.
"Brian's immediate reaction was, 'You're nuts. I'm in,'" Ostlund said.
What started as a way to satisfy their football-famished appetite soon turned into something more. Enter "Bowlmageddon."
The fab four are trying to set a Guinness World Records mark for most bowl games attended in a single season. It's a distinction that might seem ordinary to members of the media, but it's a farfetched notion to someone outside the working world of sports.
"We scheduled out as many bowl games as we could go to, and we think we're going to get to about 18 of the 40 bowl games," Ostlund said.
It's impossible to attend them all, given that some are played at the same time from one coast to the next.
But they've been to four of the seven played so far. They are the Celebration Bowl (the lone Football Championship Subdivision bowl) in Atlanta, Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, New Orleans Bowl and Boca Raton Bowl.
"The first day we went to three bowl games in three states, two time zones, drove a little bit over the speed limit to make it to all of them, but we pulled it off," Ostlund said.
There's no guarantee they're going to get the record. They've been in touch with Guinness to verify what they hope will be a record-setting excursion.
Along the way, they've encountered plenty of obstacles.
There was a flat tire. There were lost keys. They were also pulled over in Alabama but managed to avoid getting a ticket.
"Thank you officer from Montgomery," Ostlund said. "We really appreciate that."
Ostlund said much of the thrill is getting the opportunity to see parts of the country they wouldn't otherwise see.
"We've been to all the big games -- the Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Rose Bowl -- but we haven't been to a lot of the small games, and we find those are just incredibly surprising us," he said.
Arnold said Boca Raton has been "the best bowl by far."
Much like Tom Hanks' titular character was accompanied by a pack of runners in "Forrest Gump," the "Bowlmageddon" team has been picking up companions as their legend grows.
Ostlund jokingly said they "kidnapped" UCLA fan Mike Fyhrie, a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He had strayed away from the group during halftime of the Boca Raton Bowl and was roaming somewhere inside the gates of FAU Stadium.
They also picked up former Penn State offensive lineman Greg Huntington, who was one of the 10 original players to sign with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars in December 1994.
"Played against USC twice and lost, unfortunately," Huntington said.
The fast-growing group has arranged for a motor home to take them on what they're calling the "Texas loop" -- five games in four days from Dec. 26-29. All but one of them -- the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana -- will be played in the Lone Star State.
Traveling from bowl to bowl isn't cheap, and the "Bowlmageddon" crew is paying for it all by themselves. Naturally, they're happy to accept donations from anyone willing to sponsor their journey.
Although USC may not be bowling, the well-traveled spectators are wearing their school pride wherever they go. Especially Murayama, who is traversing the bowl scene with "USC" emblazoned on the back of his head. Boca Raton was the first place he didn't have to bundle up, giving him a chance to flash his cardinal-and-gold-painted toenails (USC colors, naturally) on display while wearing flip-flops.
Before the guys made their way back up the elevator to the party deck at FAU Stadium, they summoned over Santa Claus, who was spreading some Christmas cheer to fans. The jolly fella knows a thing or two about traveling long distances in a short amount of time and had some advice for them.
"A lot of sleep before you go do it," he said.
Sleep isn't an option for this bowl-bound bunch, but there is something Santa has that could benefit Ostlund and his pals during their ambitious trek.
"We have everything but a sleigh," Ostlund remarked. "We could use some help from that guy."