10. Auburn - How crazy does it get here? A friend recently covered a game on Labor Day weekend. Kickoff was 6:30 and he pulled off the highway from Atlanta at 3:30. He saw the roadside crowded with people tailgating and figured he must be near the stadium. He finally arrived at Jordan-Hare … nine miles later. When he asked the parking attendant at the media lot what time the fans started showing up, the man replied, "Seven in the morning … Thursday morning. And they aren't leaving after the game, either.''
I call Bullshit-nine miles from Auburn's Stadium you're on the interstate, 5 miles from your exit. And the old people show up for SEC games on Tuesday afternoons.
9. Colorado - Trying to decide between Ohio State and Colorado, Road Warrior consulted a friend who attended both. He gives Colorado the nod because of the mountain setting, the better weather and the … ummm, overall "Colorado'' experience. For instance, he swears the PA announcer once made this announcement during a game: "A reminder: It ish unlawful to ( hiccup) conshume aloca … er, acolho … umm, alcoholic beverages (hiccup) at Folshom Field."
Colorado is beautiful, However background doesn't make tailgating good...
8. Army The setting on the Hudson is superb and the atmosphere is special. "They understand it's a game,'' Cahn says of fans at the service academies. "The people realize the young men on the field will fight bigger battles.'' Besides, if you want to tell soldiers with rifles that they don't belong in the top 10, go right ahead.
Once again background doesn't make good tailgating. I can buy this one though having known someone who went there, and all they did was tailgate, because the games are completely worthless.
7. Wisconsin An exception to the weather rule is Wisconsin, where the fans don't notice the cold because their cheese wedges restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain and, of course, all that beer. If you're going to tailgate, better to pick Wisconsin, a state famous for beer, brats and cheese, than say, South Dakota, a state famous for … well, not being North Dakota. Just be sure to leave enough room for the legendary Fifth Quarter.
Now here is a northern school that really gets it when it comes to tailgating, a friend from Alabama is there now and he says its like the SEC tailgates just alot colder.
6. UCLA What could be better than tailgating outside the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1? Tailgating there every home game. (By the way, based on the overall UCLA experience – beautiful students, sun, L.A., beautiful students, athletic legacy, oh, and did RW mention beautiful students? – is there any reason why the Bruins do not get every single recruit they want?)
No California schools should be on this list, they don't care about football let alone tailgate, they have more important things to do. Fans show up at game time and stroll in whenever they feel like it. What a bunch of PC garbage to include UCLA.
5. Penn State It's not enough that State College turns into Pennsylvania's third-largest city on game day (and, remember, we're talking a state large enough to have 22 electoral votes). This 100,000-plus JoePa-Looza is so spirited that the school recently had to ban the drinking of alcohol outside the stadium DURING the game. That's right. So many fans come just for the tailgate that officials had to enact a law to deal with them. They don't call it Happy Valley for nothing.
They probably banned drinking outside the game in order to get the fans in before halftime. Not buying this garbage either.
4. WashingtonThe main tailgate venues are nothing special, but stern-gating is awesome. Sailing up to Husky Stadium while nibbling Dungeness crab or wild salmon and sipping a bottle of Red Hook or a glass of Chateau St. Michelle is college football's finest experience that doesn't include the USC song girls.
WASHINGTON?!? are you kidding me? What do they play at Husky Stadium? Golf? Tennis? Cause it sure as hell ain't football if your drinking wine and nibbling anything other than a coeds unmentionables. Tailgaters don't sip or nibble.
3. TennesseeWith boats able to tie up on the nearby Tennessee River, this offers the Washington nautical experience mixed with SEC passion. Plus, there's better barbecue.
Best tailgate experience of my life was my one trip to Knoxville. Nice people, great food, the river is great with the Vol navy. Partied all night on the river after the game. Can't wait to go back.
2. Ole Miss What RW loves best about the Mississippi campus is that the speed limit is 18, in recognition of the jersey number worn by Archie Manning. Tailgating in The Grove is an experience so sublime even native son William Faulkner would be at a loss to describe it. Hell, The Grove is so wonderful, Commissioner of Tailgating Cahn even plans to honeymoon there (seriously).
Never been to the Grove, but I hear many good things. Plus I met a guy once whose job it was to set up peoples tailgates the minute the school allowed them to. The kid makes bank. Thats dedication.
1. LSU Nobody cooks like the Cajuns. Walking among the tailgaters here is like strolling through one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants. RW once joined a group serving jambalaya, duck and oyster gumbo, stuffed quail, deer sauce picante, wild duck, cochon de lait, Cajun sausage, crawfish etouffee, rabbit, alligator stew and marinated pork tenderloin. And that was for a non-conference game. More important, LSU plays most games at night, which means you have an entire day to soak it in. The only downside is you may not be able to get yourself into the stadium by the time kickoff rolls around.
Atleast he has this one right, LSU gamedays look like a refugee camp and opposing fans are definetly the enemy. Everyone says Fuck you in Baton Rouge, everyone. So if you plan to attend in anything but purple and gold, be ready for it. It's the first words they teach their kids, i was cussed by several small children. But it really is kind of a "Welcome to Red Stick" greeting. They don't mean it the way civilized folk do, they can smile at you and tell you "Fuck You, we are going to kick the shit out of you today, want something to eat? need a beer?" a different experience to say the least.
So there you have it, a fair, balanced and completely impartial list of the best tailgating campuses in America. By the way, Ohio State fans have no doubt noticed their school did not make the list, despite the 100,000-plus passionate faithful surrounding the Horseshoe each game in one of college football's best and most spirited gatherings. That's because Road Warrior's alma mater recently lost to the Buckeyes and hasn't gotten over it, yet.
Fair and Balanced says it all, "we are required to include Big 10 and Pac 10 teams due to our ESPN contracts" says it better. Don't even try to give me Ohio State, that place is like Vietnam on gamedays.
Here's My Top Ten:
1. LSU
2. Tennessee
3. Ole Miss
4. Wisconsin
5. Auburn
6. Clemson
7. Oklahoma
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Notre Dame - yes Notre Dame, they may not be drinking as much, but they are everywhere and they know what tailgating is all about.
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