Many different rivalries and competitive edges between college football teams and their supportive fans across the nation take place every football season. On and off the field, football players fight for their school, and the non-football players in the stadium compete against each other in stadium chants. The non-football playing fans aren’t just bench warmers of the stadium seats; they play a very important part in the college football season every year, and that is through the sport of tailgating.
If there is one thing that can be agreed upon by the entire college football fan base, it's that tailgating is just as essential (if not more) than the referees and yard lines of the football games themselves. While we all know about everyone's favorite Big Ten MVP's who are out on the field every Saturday, we can’t forget about the coolers, dips and chips, lawn games, and solo cups, our off the field MVP's!
Tailgating is fun, but tailgating the right way is an experience unlike any other, and if you’re fortunate enough to go to a school with a student population of 30,000 or more, you better take advantage of attending a hype tailgate. College football tailgates are special, and they will be some of your greatest college memories if you don’t put so much in your school-colored solo cups as to forget them.
Some college students have a knack for throwing down, and can coordinate the gathering of all your friends to have a great time getting hyped up before going into the stadium for the big kickoff. But if you lack skill for the sport of tailgating, are looking to up your tailgating game, or are just tired of being the tailgating-hopper every game weekend, here’s what you need to know in order to tailgate like a champion during the upcoming football season:
Cups On Cups On Cups:
When you're planning a tailgate, it's always important to make sure that there will be an infinite amount of solo cups for your tailgaters. Tailgating time consists of the hours before kick off, and even hours after the game is over. When drinks are pouring and mixing, and tailgaters are coming and going, a shortage of solo cups could easily make or break the party, depending on what beverages are in your cooler and how they are packaged. You will lose tailgaters if they aren't able to proudly fill up a solo cup. And aside from being able to have a full drink in hand, you need to be prepared for one of your tailgaters to suggest a drinking game to play, and to get a bunch of other tailgaters to join in. Having extra cups for extra fun is better than being a Debbie-downer, and telling someone they can't play because there are no more cups left. Make sure your tailgate is popping and hopping with plenty of solo cups. It's just like having people come to your tailgate -- the more the merrier!
Somethin' 'Bout A Truck:
It's never a bad thing to use some lawn chairs or a big table to help you and your tailgaters mark off your area of festivities among the thousands of other tailgaters. But if you can get a pickup truck, let alone any car, to park at your tailgating location, you will be the MVP of the tailgating season. Having a tailgating vehicle allows for endless possibilities for football pre-gaming fun. You can safely store and secure your tailgating goods for your long hours of fun. You can bring more of everything to your tailgate because transporting it all becomes an easy breeze when you use four wheels instead of two feet. You can crank up your party jams louder and for longer by using the car's sound system, especially if any extra speakers are installed. If you plan on tailgating a little too hard or you don't feel like dealing with the stadium crowds, you can be one of those TV tailgaters if you have a pickup truck. You can have a secure place to keep your TV so you can watch the game in the comfort of your own tailgate bubble. Pickups can also serve as a rallying tool for your tailgate, and for other fans around you. Get a few people to get up on the back of that pickup truck to start some jamming and cheering before going into the football game, and your tailgaters will have attended the best tailgate of that game day. There's just somthin' 'bout a truck that instantly adds hype to a tailgate. Let it be yours.
Fuel (a.k.a. Food):
Remember that tailgating is a sport. It requires energy, strength, and enthusiasm from each person to successfully tailgate and make it into the football game. Delectable food is a must. There isn't one memorable tailgate you'll have or go to during football season that does not have amazing snacks and dishes on the menu. Mac and cheese, wings, dips, deserts, chicken, salad, burgers, a pig roast, you name it! Fresh from the store is great, homemade is even better. And if there is one thing that will help put your tailgate in first place, it's having a grill at your tailgate to serve hot and fresh burgers, chicken, hotdogs, and more for your tailgaters. Nothing beats food right off the grill, and the smell of a grill alone is irresistible. Don't forget your homemade dishes and your grill for an unforgettable tailgate. You and your tailgaters tailgate for the best college football team in the world: yours! Prepare for game day by cooking and serving only the best for you and your tailgating guests.
Competition Off The Turf, And On The Grass Lawns:
What's game day without a little competition on and off the field? While you and your tailgating party are getting ready to go watch the big game, it's always fun to get into your competitive zone with some classic lawn games that everyone can't resist. You can't go wrong with corn hole, stump, ladder golf, or washers! Whether or not you and your tailgaters can make every shot in the hole for corn hole or throw your bean bags at the tailgate next to yours, or crush everyone's nail in stump or drop the hammer on your foot, these games are great for picking up the energy of your tailgate! Whether your tailgaters are playing these games, watching them, or both, they make for great tailgating fun that you won't want your tailgate to miss out on.
Just as the football players need to stay hydrated with water and Gatorade on game day, so do tailgaters! Whether the beverages being served come in a plastic bottle, glass bottle, or a can, make sure there is plenty to go around. Running out of liquids at your tailgate will destroy it. Don't be that guy who has to send everyone into the stadium early because the last case was crushed, or because of a "dead soldier." Make sure your tailgate is stocked to the max with a variety of drinks, and is stocked with enough for pre-game tailgating and post-game tailgating. Keep your tailgaters hydrated, and you'll be thanked by them the next morning (whether it's a thank you for the serious headache, great tailgating memories, or both).
Find The Camera Guy:
You can never have too much hype at a trophy-winning tailgate. If your tailgate location is fortunate enough to be in the path of a game day camera crew member who's shooting excited fans getting ready to go into the game, stop that cameraman! If there is one thing that a hyped up squad loves, it's the front of a camera lens. Show that cameraman your tailgate's enthusiasm to show the people watching your shot that not only does your school have the best football team, but it also has the greatest fans. Rally your tailgate together with the help of the wandering school camera. It will make for an amazing tailgate highlight!
Edible Gold, Buff-Chick Dip:
You could forget a chair, a lawn game, utensils and paper products, a cooler of drinks, or even all of your solo cups, but if you forget to bring the greatest dip in tailgating history, your tailgate will not go down in history. So simple, yet so beautiful, buffalo chicken dip (buff-chick dip) is the most praised element of any tailgate. There is no better feeling for a tailgater than walking up to a tailgate to find a dish of fresh buff-chick dip. It's exhilarating. Serving buff-chick dip will make your tailgate one for the record-keeping books. It's a tailgating tradition and treat that everyone enjoys and looks forward to every football season. You can do no wrong with having this edible gold at your tailgate!
Good People:
You could forget a chair, a lawn game, utensils and paper products, a cooler of drinks, all of your solo cups, AND the buff-chick dip, but as long as your tailgaters are all of your favorite people, you'll win the Heisman of tailgating. The absolute greatest thing about college football tailgates is that they are a chance for you to get together with all of your friends and family, new and old, to help support your favorite football team. After long weeks during the fall semesters, football tailgates are the perfect break of fun for you and your friends to have a great time enjoying life together at your second home, and to celebrate one of the most exciting times of the school year: the college football season! You could be without half of the necessities for a great tailgate, but as long as you are not without good people - the greatest necessity of a Heisman-winning tailgate - laughs, fun, and fond football memories are to follow. Getting a bunch of good people to come together to enjoy each other's company, and hyping up one another for the big game at your tailgate will make you the real MVP of this college football season.
