10 GREAT COLLEGE FOOTBALL TAILGATING HOTSPOTS

The Grove at Ole Miss

Ole Miss

The place to be is “The Grove”. It’s where all the pre-partying happens. The Grove opens at 10 p.m. on Friday, and closes at midnight following the game. Expect thousands of students packed into a mini tent city.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 60,500 – 62,000

Clemson University

Rules for Clemson tailgating? Wear Tiger Orange, look for the pre-game parties by fraternities, and memorize the lyrics to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 80,000 to 90,000

Frat row at the Univ of MN Twin Cities

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

TCF Bank stadium is the new home of the Golden Gophers. The whole area offers excellent options for fan interaction. Hit the tailgate lots, frat row, Dinky Town, or hot spots along Washington Ave.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 50,000 to 60,000

Penn State — University Park

Football fans here create an amazing atmosphere with a tent city that sprouts up around Beaver Stadium the week before a game. Check out Bryce Jordan Center and Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are open for special events before kickoff during home football games.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 107,000 – 110,000

LSU Tailgating Time

LSU — Baton Rouge

LSU fans set the standard for tailgating. The party and the food are like no other. Be prepared for street closures though. Have a campus map handy, and give yourself plenty of time to meet up with your group.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 92,000 – 95,000

Ohio State University

A walk through the RV parking near the Schottenstein Center or Jesse Owens Stadium shows the dedication of Buckeye tailgaters. Here’s where you’ll find school buses converted into tailgating palaces and pimped out RVs blaring music. Several establishments on Lane Avenue have parties with live music and other gameday festivities.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 82,000 – 85,000

TN Tailgating Party

University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Fans by the boatload…literally. Hundreds of boats set up along the Tennessee River and fans tailgate on the water. Didn’t bring your water toys? No problem. Fans pack the parking lots surrounding the stadium too and the party rages on.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 104,000 – 106,000

Texas A&M — College Station

Aggie football fans call themselves the 12th Man and you will find them at the Midnight Yell Practice the night before the game. It is a pep rally held at Kyle Field and draws tons of fans.  Tailgating is is hosted in the northeastern parking lot of Javelina Stadium before each home football game with many student organizations, clubs, and surrounding businesses participating.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 82,000 – 85,000

University of Alabama — Tuscaloosa

Look for the large gathering prior to each football game at the UA Quad. The school also holds pep rallies on the Gorgas library steps. The Quad has hosted ESPN’s Gameday several times and the is a where fans perform the “Elephant Stomp” to Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Alabama mascot “Big Al” and the Million Dollar Band.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 92,000 – 95,000

Huskies fans doing a little 'Sailgating'

University of Washington

This is yet another school where fans drop anchor and boat-hop during pregame festivities.  If the weather is bad, head towards the stadium and hit up the The north and south parking lots for a dosage of school spirit.

Expected gameday crowd level for area: 72,500 – 76,000

Top 2010 College Football Matchups

Sept. 11 Miami at Ohio State

See who comes out in the battle of dynamic quarterbacks: Miami’s Jacory Harris and Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor. It also is the first matchup between the teams since Ohio State’s controversial Fiesta Bowl victory in 2003.

Sept. 11 Michigan at Notre Dame

Brian Kelly’s Irish get their first big test of the season. Denard Robinson show flashes of brilliance to start the season for the Wolverines, but this should be a much more difficult matchup.

Sept. 25 Alabama at Arkansas

Defending national champion Alabama should get a stiff test from an Arkansas team that is led by first-round pick hopeful Ryan Mallett at quarterback.

Sept. 25 Oregon State at Boise State

This could be Boise’s last difficult opponent. If the Broncos get past the Beavers, they could have a clear path to the BCS national championship game.

Oct. 2 Florida at Alabama

This is a rematch of last year’s SEC title game, where ‘Bama ended Tim Tebow’s hopes of another national championship. Bama used the victory over Florida to springboard toward a national championship.

Oct. 2 Texas vs. Oklahoma

The Red River Shootout always is a great rivalry. This time, both teams will showcase their replacements to All-American quarterbacks Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford.

Oct. 16 Texas at Nebraska

Nebraska believes it is back among the nation’s elite under coach Bo Pelini. Until they win a big game — like this one against Texas — we won’t know for sure.

Nov. 13 Penn State at Ohio State

Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions have caused considerable problems for Ohio State in recent years. This could be a stumbling block for the Buckeyes, who many feel are title contenders.

Nov. 20 Virginia Tech at Miami

The showdown between former Big East rivals could determine who goes to the ACC title game. Virginia Tech beat the Canes last year in Blacksburg. This one’s in Miami.

Nov. 27 South Carolina at Clemson

This is the last game on the schedule for South Carolina. If they are not prepping for a bowl game, the Gamecocks could be prepping to show Steve Spurrier the door after this one.

Best College Football Highlights of Past Decade

To help kick off the college football season, we present to you a college football video montage as our video pick of the week. This video shows earth shattering hits, amazing plays, other random NCAA college football highlights from the past decade. Who knows what the next 10 years will bring us, but we do know three things: Mike Gundy is a man and he’s 40, and we love this game.

Here are some runner-up videos that will entertain.

While guy is leaving a voice mail for a friend, he witnesses a fender bender with an old lady. He gives his buddy a play by play that paints a funny picture. Listen here.

Chris Lukawski, a longtime devotee of the Packers and beer, is confident his battered liver and family can handle another NFL season of unrestrained alcohol consumption. Watch here.

Don Draper’s College Orientation. Watch here.

A stirring rendition of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” from some Korean guy. Watch here.

Top Five College Football Rivalries

Back to School timing also means the beginning of college football season. And with college football, always come great rivalries. These games are typically deep seeded with tradition, and garner a lot of excitement and attention.  These  match ups can also provide great opportunities for marketers, as they generate a lot of buzz both on campus and a national level.  Here is a list of the top five college football rivalries we think your brand can play into:

1)  Michigan vs Ohio State – Also known as “The Game”, the matchup between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes was ranked in 2000 by ESPN as the greatest North American sports rivalry. This game is almost always scheduled at the end of the season and has often determined the winner of the Big 10, thus determining some Rose Bowl matchups. The venue alternates between campuses every year. Michigan leads the overall series 57-42-6, but Ohio State is currently on their longest winning streak yet, as they have won the last five (2004-2008).

2)  Texas vs Oklahoma – Red River Rivalry or Red River Shootout, named for the Red River which forms part of the border between OK and TX. This series has also been considered one of the best rivalries in American sports. The winner takes home the Golden Hat trophy. Texas leads the all-time series 50-40-5. The game is played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, considered a neutral site since its halfway between Austin and Norman. Typically it is held during the second week of October, which is during the State Fair of Texas- the largest state fair in the US by annual attendance.

3)  Miami vs FSU – Since 1983, the winner of this game has gone on to win the National Championship seven times. The Miami Hurricanes currently lead the series 31-23. Recently the game has been moved to Labor Day, so it can be an exclusive game on national television. The most recent game on Labor Day 2009 was an epic battle, with seven lead changes and a nail-biting finish that ended with Miami topping the favored FSU. Thanks to my older brother, I’ve grown up a Miami fan, so GO CANES!

4)  Army vs Navy – One of the more traditional of the football rivalries, it has come to represent the rivalry between the different branches of the US Armed Forces. The game is typically played in Philadelphia, somewhat of a middle ground between the two bases. Though neither team is typically a championship contender, it is nationally televised every year due to tradition. Navy leads the series 53-49-7.

5)  Alabama vs Auburn – This game is also known as the Iron Bowl. The winner is awarded the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy. The site of the game alternates between Tuscaloosa and Auburn every year, though it was played in Birmingham most of the twentieth century. Alabama leads the series 39-33-1.