redbuck
08-21-2006, 08:21 AM
i've been hearing responses of how people do not tailgate. That's a shame. That's perhaps the best part of football, sitting next to the river hearing the blaring music through the trees, grilling on a couple of empty beer cans and tin foil, talking about the game and playing pickup football or cornhole...
A couple years ago, USA Today unveiled its 10 Best College Sites to Tailgate.
I cannot find the list for some reason but thought I'd throw together a few thoughts on great sites to tailgate:
Ohio State I believe was USAToday #1 - Anyone who's been to a Buckeye game knows why. The RVs show up on thursday and the world's largest tailgate party, known as "Hineygate," begins early saturday and the music doesn't calm until the early hours of sunday morning. Lane Avenue is filled with people, tents with carnival-like attractions dot the areas around St. John Arena and the array of flags in the stadium parking lots is truly unbelievable. And the skull session - band plays before jammed arena before the game, is a lot of fun but hard to get seats for
Georgia: Everyone knows about "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" but not too many people realize the long tailgating that occurs in Athens. Athens isn't a big city so people start driving in early and the celebration is very impressive.
LSU: The games in Baton Rouge are mostly at night so people in the parking lots have only one thing to do all day - drink. And because the stadium is surrounded by parking lots the scene can be impressive and dangerous for visiting fans as 90,000 drunk fans finally pile into the stadium at dusk.
The Indiana schools: Surprisingly both Purdue and Indiana compliment Notre Dame on this list. At PU almost everybody driving in for the game parks in the same giant parking lot, a big grass field. Games of corn hole between PU and opposing fans and kids selling newspapers by singing either team's fight song for a couple bucks. Then the long walk to the stadium. At IU there are very few restrictions on alcohol although new rules about evacuating the parking lots after a game have cut down on the fun that goes on (giant binge drinking competitions) in the gravel lots.
The Cotton Bowl: Obviously splitting a stadium between Texas and Oklahoma and throwing in a state fair makes for interesting parking lot altercations.
Tennessee: Has to be impressive when you get 107,000 people all grilling together
Schools that have surprisingly poor tailgating:
Michigan - if you've ever been there you were probably amazed too at how little pregame enthusiasm or partying goes on
The Pac-10 - Just not the same enthusiasm on the west coast
Wisconsin - there's a lot of tailgating but it isn't so much fun as it's just ugly - dangerous, beer filled and crowded.
A couple years ago, USA Today unveiled its 10 Best College Sites to Tailgate.
I cannot find the list for some reason but thought I'd throw together a few thoughts on great sites to tailgate:
Ohio State I believe was USAToday #1 - Anyone who's been to a Buckeye game knows why. The RVs show up on thursday and the world's largest tailgate party, known as "Hineygate," begins early saturday and the music doesn't calm until the early hours of sunday morning. Lane Avenue is filled with people, tents with carnival-like attractions dot the areas around St. John Arena and the array of flags in the stadium parking lots is truly unbelievable. And the skull session - band plays before jammed arena before the game, is a lot of fun but hard to get seats for
Georgia: Everyone knows about "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" but not too many people realize the long tailgating that occurs in Athens. Athens isn't a big city so people start driving in early and the celebration is very impressive.
LSU: The games in Baton Rouge are mostly at night so people in the parking lots have only one thing to do all day - drink. And because the stadium is surrounded by parking lots the scene can be impressive and dangerous for visiting fans as 90,000 drunk fans finally pile into the stadium at dusk.
The Indiana schools: Surprisingly both Purdue and Indiana compliment Notre Dame on this list. At PU almost everybody driving in for the game parks in the same giant parking lot, a big grass field. Games of corn hole between PU and opposing fans and kids selling newspapers by singing either team's fight song for a couple bucks. Then the long walk to the stadium. At IU there are very few restrictions on alcohol although new rules about evacuating the parking lots after a game have cut down on the fun that goes on (giant binge drinking competitions) in the gravel lots.
The Cotton Bowl: Obviously splitting a stadium between Texas and Oklahoma and throwing in a state fair makes for interesting parking lot altercations.
Tennessee: Has to be impressive when you get 107,000 people all grilling together
Schools that have surprisingly poor tailgating:
Michigan - if you've ever been there you were probably amazed too at how little pregame enthusiasm or partying goes on
The Pac-10 - Just not the same enthusiasm on the west coast
Wisconsin - there's a lot of tailgating but it isn't so much fun as it's just ugly - dangerous, beer filled and crowded.