I did the family trip to South Bend in 2015. Most people like the Chicago route, (taking in a Cubs game at Wrigley, riding the bus, ect.) For the boring, economy traveler like myself- my family of four flew into Indianapolis on Frontier at $118 per round trip ticket on Friday afternoon. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express on US 31 in the lovely town of Carmel, Indiana for $100 a night (breakfast included). There are some wonderful bar/ grill restaurants in downtown Carmel. The town even had an orchestra performing on the Courthouse Square the night we were there. The morning of the game, US 31 is a straight shot due North into South Bend. It takes a little longer than Chicago but not by much ( 2.5 hours)- there was no traffic. Our seats were purchased via my season tickets at about $110 a piece. The seats were in the upper End Zone , but were actually quite good. They are not nearly as high as Clemson or UGA. The rental car was $25 a day. So, when you add everything up, it was a $1400 trip for our family of four. Even though we got beat that day, it was a trip my sons will never forget.