Week 3 – Shellgating

Eagle Up!!!!!

Back to the farm in Palo Alto we went. Connecting with the legendary BC Eagle Tailgaters for our pre-game soirée. We met up with additional friends from our old town of Danville and set up camp in the Groves of Stanford University in Lot #7. On the menu were homemade Bloody Marys (Meal in a cup with bacon, shrimp, hand stuffed blue cheese olives, hot beans & celery) deviled eggs, buffalo dip, gumbo, and fresh lobster tails flown in from New England. Because of all the crustaceans and eggs, we coined the term Shellgating! We had an assortment of beverages from brown all the way down. Let’s just say we were directionally challenged walking to the stadium, which was only 150 yards away. We met many people from the surrounding tailgates and had an amazing afternoon. The vibe was extremely festive which is not always the case at Stanford for games other than Notre Dame. Our pre game festivities concluded with the traditional “Eagle up” toast with some red colored libation shot!

Gumbo over potato salad and the Eagle Tailgaters with Mr and Mrs Tailgate

Top L- R, the Panos of Danville, Pops pouring Eagle juice, the ladies, Pops and Mrs T with their meal in a cup Marys!

Top L-R  Doc from Gunsmoke sauteeing the lobstuh, Destiny serving lobstuh, chugging champ, the ladies Leblanc                                                        

Boston College traversed the entire continent to play a game with a 7:30 kickoff, which felt like 10:30 PM their time. And this new alignment of the ACC—how does that make sense? The first quarter had Stanford booting two field goals for a 6-0 lead. Then BC finally got off the bus and showed up to play in the second quarter, which was the only quarter their offense really appeared. The second quarter of the game was a defense-optional contest, with each team scoring two touchdowns and BC adding two field goals, resulting in the score tied at 20 at half. Stanford would go on to score 10 more points, and their defense shut out BC’s offense in the second half to notch their first win of the season.

Me and my designated driver!

---

Around The Country

UGA vs Tennessee – College GameDay was in Knoxville for this one as the much-anticipated matchup of some of the SEC big boys was on the slate. In what appeared to be another defense-optional match, the teams went to OT. Tennessee kicked a field goal, and UGA responded with a touchdown, resulting in a 44-41 win.

ND vs A&M – In a must-win for both teams, the Aggies extracted revenge from last year’s loss to Notre Dame by notching a 41-40 win over the Irish. After Notre Dame pulled ahead 40-34 with less than three minutes left, the holder botched the hold on the extra point, and the conversion failed. He’ll be in the grotto all week praying for his sin, as ND has possibly been eliminated from playoff contention after just three weeks.

GT vs Clemson – Haynes King led the Rambling Wreck to an upset over ACC conference rival Clemson, possibly knocking Clemson out of playoff hopes too. As usual, Cade Klubnik, despite ESPN’s desire to make him great, did not lead his team to a needed victory, thus dropping him out of the secretive Heisman conversation.

WVU vs Pitt – They were burning couches in Morgantown, WV, as the Mountaineers knocked off hated rival Pitt in the latest rendition of the Backyard Brawl. Final score: WVU 31-24 in OT.

Burning couches in Morgantown with Stan and Minnesota Dan

Vandy vs South Carolina – Cocky Vandy QB1 Diego Pavia led the Commodores over Cocky and the Gamecocks in Columbia, SC in a fairly big upset. Vandy improves to 3-0, and if they keep it up, we could see their coach running the sideline of a Blue Blood program next year.

---

Bieber Award

William Pratt, a player from North Dakota State University, has been dismissed from the team for allegedly snatching a $228,000 Rolex watch from a boat during a 4th of July outing. The coach has confirmed he will not be permitted to play again on the team. The good news is he can check his expensive watch to tell what time his court date is and also keep an eye on when his Beaver Hardware arrives at his house. Not a very timely move there, Mr. Pratt.

---

Ginger Award

This week’s Ginger goes to Tom Cillo, a 58-year-old freshman defensive lineman at Lycoming College. Yep, you read that right. After more than three decades working for the city and serving as his old high school’s equipment manager, Tom decided it was finally time to chase the dream he missed back in 1984. At 6-foot and 227 pounds, he still hits the weight room hard—he even owns the Pennsylvania deadlift record in his age group and once pulled a fire truck in a strongman competition. While he may not get a ton of snaps, Coach Mike Clark says the leadership and toughness he brings to the locker room are invaluable. Proof that it’s never too late to lace ’em up.

---

Next Up – Mrs. Tailgate and I will be traveling to Virginia for a wedding. As such, we will be tailgating at Hampden-Sydney then heading over to Liberty University for their battle with in-state rival James Madison.

Happy Tailgating!

Week 2 – “Don’t Let The Old Man In”

Back to Norman, Oklahoma I went for the OU–Michigan weekend. The energy throughout town starting Wednesday was off the charts. ESPN College Gameday was setting up in the beautiful South Oval on the OU campus, framed by many buildings done in what’s called Cherokee Gothic style. Truly, OU is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country—and I’ve seen one or two! These two blue bloods had only met once before in 1976. Michigan hails from the Big Ten and Oklahoma is now in its second season in the SEC.

On Saturday, along with my middle daughter and her family, we made our way to the legendary “Under The Tree” tailgate, located right behind the President’s house. The tailgate kicked off its 25th year of existence by hosting one of its largest crowds ever. We also had family and friends drop by, and I had the pleasure of chaperoning Luke Lorick. Luke is a colleague at Tailgate Connect® and also the founder of Tailgating Challenge and National Tailgating Day—which just so happened to be Saturday.

The Under The Tree gang working their tailgate magic

The tailgate crew cooked up 250 onion burgers, an assortment of hot dogs and brats, and poured a record number of cocktails for the enormous crowd. Tailgate Connect even sent 22 guests to the soiree. To top it off, my seven-month-old grandson participated in his very first tailgate, rocking a Sooner onesie.

Top L- R Baby's first tailgate, #2 and her family, Charles "The Legend" Bolt and Matt, Dan babysitting Luke and Sketchy!

After a full afternoon of tailgating, instead of heading into the stadium for the game, we returned to my daughter’s house AKA our luxury private suite, for pizza, beer, and bourbon. From there we watched an impressive performance by the Sooner defense and all-world QB1 John Mateer against a tough Michigan team. The game, ABC’s featured matchup of the week, was one of the most anticipated of the weekend.

Aside from a third-quarter 75-yard breakaway TD run by Michigan’s Justice Haynes, the Sooner D bottled up the Wolverines’ star freshman QB and shut down the running game throughout the night. OU’s ground attack was led by Mateer, who rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 270 yards and another score. Final: Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13.

Luke's game day video of Oklahoma tailgating

https://youtube.com/shorts/fU_LTPS-rZY?si=4qC7gnMQMmyAslK2

Around The Country

• In one of the weekend’s most exciting games, Baylor needed two overtimes to slip past a feisty SMU squad in Dallas, 48–45.
  
  

• Mississippi State jumped out to a 17–0 first-half lead over the favored Sun Devils from Arizona State. The cowbells were clanging, and the Bulldog faithful were in full voice. ASU stormed back to take the lead, but the Bulldogs clawed it back late to secure a 24–20 win.
  
  

• Don’t look now, but USF has just beaten its second Top 25 opponent—this time knocking off Florida in The Swamp, 18–16. Gators head coach Billy Napier is feeling the heat now more than ever.
  
  

• In one of the nation’s most underrated rivalries, Iowa State edged Iowa in the annual Cy-Hawk Bowl, 16–15. The entire state of Iowa tunes in for this yearly tête-à-tête.
  
  

• In Division 2 action, my alma mater Frostburg State improved to 2-0 on the year by defeating Millersville 42-34.
  
  

---

Bieber Award

As if things weren’t dicey enough in Gainesville, things got worse during Florida’s loss to USF. Gator defensive lineman Branden Bett, after stopping a USF runner on a crucial down, decided to channel his inner Jalen Carter. After jawing with USF O-lineman Cole Skinner, Bett thought it was a good idea to spit in his face. The result: an immediate ejection and a penalty that sustained the drive, which led to USF kicking the game-winning field goal.

So, Mr. Dumbass—stop playing the "imitation" game by mimicking NFL players in ways that will only get you tossed and cost your team wins. While you’re sitting out the first half of the next game, you can polish your shiny new Bieber trophy.

A spitting image of Jalen Carter

Ginger Award

This week’s Ginger Award goes to “The Under The Tree” gang at the Oklahoma tailgate for feeding 250 people and running an incredible bar before the OU–Michigan game. These guys worked their tails off making sure guests were fed, entertained, and properly libated. Special shoutouts to Roscoe, Kent, Wheels, Stewart, Joel, and John—you were simply badass on Saturday. Boomer!

---

Next Up – Mrs. Tailgate and I are heading to “The Farm” in Palo Alto on Saturday to connect with the legendary Eagle Tailgaters as Boston College takes on Stanford’s weird tree. Wait until you hear about what’s on the menu!

Happy Tailgating!

Week 1: So I got that going for me.....which is nice!

 

’Twas the Night Before Week One (Written last Wednesday as Labor day weekend is akin to Christmas morning for me!)

’Twas the night before Week One, and all through the land,
The beer was on ice, the tickets in hand.
The grills were all scrubbed, the koozies were near,
For the holiest season—college football’s here.

With Tubby the loyal wingman, my road dog, my bro,
We’re off chasing kickoffs wherever they go.
Bowling Green Thursday—Falcons take flight,
MACtion at last on a humid Midwest night.

Friday in Champaign, the tailgates will spin,
This time the Illini should actually win.
With Bill Murray and Rodney, we’ll swagger and strut,
When you’re Caddyshack legends, the coeds go nuts.

Then Saturday morning, it’s Gameday’s last ride,
Corso’s farewell—bring a tissue (or hide).
One final headgear, one last silly roar,
He’s carried that show since before half you were born.

By afternoon kickoff, the schedule is stacked,
Buckeyes vs. Longhorns—some bar gets our cash.
We’ll scream at the TV like lunatics do,
While Tubby keeps asking, “Another round, too?”

Then Saturday night, it is Carbondale’s turn,
Where Salukis bark loud and the tailgates all burn.
It’s small-town, it’s rowdy, it’s football done right,
And we’ll stumble on home sometime deep in the night.

So bring on the chaos, the beer, and the fight,
Happy Week One to all—and to all a buzzed night!

---

Aside from the preemptive poem of my annual Labor Day trifecta with my college buddy Tubby, here are a few additional tidbits from each game we attended:

• Bowling Green: Former Ohio State and NFL legend Eddie George made his debut as the Falcons’ head coach, and fans seemed fired up about it. Bowling Green—unknown to me before—also boasts the largest marching band in the country, with more than 500 members. This might be debated by some of the bigger SEC or Big Ten schools, but they were massive, and it was an impressive sight for a smaller program.

  

• Illinois: For the first time in ages, the Illini entered their opener ranked No. 12. The crowd was near (if not at) capacity, and the atmosphere was raucous through the first half before the game turned into a blowout. Our crew also held its annual costume party, dressing up as Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield from Caddyshack.

• 

  The house that Red Grange built

  
  

  

  "I don't think the heavy stuff is coming down for a while"

• Southern Illinois: At our tailgate in Carbondale, we got “undercover bossed” by none other than the Chancellor of SIU, who chatted with us for five minutes before we realized who he was. We ended up getting a picture with him and the group tailgating next to us.

  

  Undercover Boss on the left. Cousin Eddy's RVeeeeee on the lower right.

  
  
  
  

---

Big Games Around the Country

• Ohio State vs. Texas: The Longhorns fell in a close one at the Shoe. All eyes were on young Arch Manning, but he didn’t live up to the pressure this time.
  
  

• Alabama vs. Florida State: The Tide traveled to Tallahassee and were physically outplayed by the Noles, who had much to prove after last year’s disastrous season. Tide faithful are already praying for Saban’s return.
  
  

• LSU vs. Clemson: In the Tiger battle, the Bayou Bengals went to the other Death Valley and knocked off a good Clemson team under the lights.
  
  

• Notre Dame vs. Miami: Sunday night’s marquee matchup saw the Hurricanes edge out the Irish in another round of Catholics vs. Convicts.
  
  

• UNC vs. TCU: Bill Belichick’s collegiate debut on Monday night did not go well, as the Tar Heels were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached by a solid Horned Frogs squad. Those two teams will meet again next year in Dublin, Ireland.
  
  

---

This Week’s Bieber Award

This week’s Bieber actually comes from the prior weekend. UC Davis and Mercer met in Montgomery, AL, for a neutral-site game. With just over seven minutes left in the 4th quarter, UC Davis led by six when a lightning delay was called. Per protocol, each strike within a certain radius restarts a 30-minute delay. After countless stoppages, someone in their infinite wisdom declared the game a no contest.

To my knowledge, this is unprecedented. Why not resume the next day and let the reserves finish out the final seven minutes? Canceling a game that could matter down the line seems like the wrong call. Whoever made that decision—please contact me so I can send you this week’s Bieber hardware.

---

This Week’s Ginger Award

After 38 years, the great Lee Corso (Mel Brooks’s doppelgänger) has decided to hang up his microphone and retire from his seat on the set of College GameDay. Lee was part of the original cast when GameDay launched as a one-hour, in-studio pregame show. He was the only remaining founding member still with the program through last season.

College GameDay has become a fixture of American sports culture, thanks in large part to Corso. He forever changed the game with his weekly headgear picks, his famous catchphrase—“Not so fast, my friend!”—and his unmatched likability.

Just as Three and a Half Men was never the same after Charlie Sheen left, and The Office changed after Steve Carell’s exit, GameDay will never be quite the same without Coach Corso.

Coach, thank you for giving Saturday mornings meaning and purpose for college football junkies like myself. For that, you’ve earned the Week One Ginger Bad Ass Award.

Mel and Lee!

Next Up

I’ll be traveling to Norman, Oklahoma, to watch the mighty OU Sooners take on the Maize and Blue from Michigan. I’ll be joined by family members and colleagues from Tailgate Connect, and we’ll be tailgating behind the President’s House with our usual crew. Also, be sure to give a listen to the Tailgate Connect podcast that launched this summer. We have dropped the first four episodes.

Happy Tailgating!

 

Dan From The Tailgate 2025 Season Kickoff

Folks, we’re officially into the college football season  as week zero is now in the books. If last year was a whirlwind, this year feels like a Category 5 tailgate tornado. Schools, coaches, and players are jumping ship for greener pastures at a record pace..Good luck trying to learn your new coach, QB1 and possibly even your new conference!

Yesterday’s action included the Ireland Bowl which saw Iowa State take down rival Kansas State in Dublin. We even had an FCS game called a “No Contest" . WIth only 7;36 left in the 4th quarter with UC Davis leading Mercer by 6, A series of lightning strikes kept delaying the action from resuming so ultimately they just canceled the game. Neither team gets a win, loss or draw.  out in Hawaii, the Rainbow Warriors upset the Stanford Cardinal on a game-winning field goal.

It must have been a slow news cycle this summer at my Alma Matter Frostburg State as they approached me about an interview. They were fascinated with Tailgate Connect®, the business I started eight years ago that has taken off nicely the past few years.  Check the story out here. 

Now, as ambitious as ever (or maybe borderline delusional), here’s my DFT 2025 game schedule. It’s part football pilgrimage, part excuse to get out of chores and be the eternal peter pan:

DFT 2025 Roadmap to Glory (and Grub):

• 8/28 — Lafayette at BGU

• 8/29 — Western Illinois at Illinois (Keep an eye out for Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray)

• 8/30 — Thomas More at Southern Illinois game

• 9/6 — Michigan at Oklahoma

• 9/13 — Boston College at Stanford

• 9/20 — James Madison at Liberty

• 9/27 — OFF (recovery or remorse — TBD)

• 10/4 — Frostburg Homecoming Homecoming

• 10/11 — TBD

• 10/18 — OFF 

• 10/24 — Montana at Sac State

• 10/30 — Tulane at UTSA 

• 10/31 — Sam Houston at LA Tech 

• 11/1 — Old Dominion at ULM 

• 11/8 — FSU at Clemson (ACC showdown)

• 11/15 — Oklahoma at Alabama

• 11/21 — Hawaii at UNLV

• 11/28 — OFF 

• 12/6 — Conference Championship or FCS playoff game - TBD 

• TBD — Bowl game or playoff
  
  

And now, the off-season Bieber Award (because every year needs a little cringe-worthy moment): This year goes to none other than Deion Sanders — for channeling his inner helicopter parent so hard that his son plummeted to the 5th round of the NFL draft. Who knew pride and arrogance could cost you millions?

On a more solemn note, this season’s ginger shoutout goes to a dear family member and three friends who have all left this earth this year. All four were avid DFTers and massive supporters of this blog. Their seats may be empty now, but their spirits are front and center at every tailgate this year. The tailgating world feels a lot smaller without them.None of them would want their names mentioned so we will leave it at that.

Make sure to let me know if you need a tailgate at any of our locations this year and I will get you a discount code www.tailgateconnect.com 

Happy Tailgating!