Week 5 – Powerhouse Saturday

As mentioned in last week’s recap, I took this weekend off from attending a live game and tailgate. That didn’t stop me from getting into the festivities along 30A on the Redneck Riviera. With Mrs. Tailgate and #3, we hit the beach and stumbled into various establishments along 30A throughout the weekend to enjoy oysters, gumbo, libations, and of course college football. We wrapped things up with chow and suds back at the the billet on the bayou while watching the top games on TV.

Watching the Notre Dame game on my phone at the beach!

Around the Country

Big Ten

Oregon vs. Penn State turned out to be a much better game than it looked for three quarters. In a whiteout at Happy Valley, the Ducks owned the Lions early, only to let their lead disappear and find themselves in overtime. The Ducks scored first in OT, and PSU QB1 Drew Allar also threw the ball to a Duck when it was his turn. Final score: Ducks 30, Nittany Lions 24.

Lincoln Riley continues to prove he is, in fact, one of the all-time “fool’s gold” hires in college football. Lincoln once again couldn’t beat a ranked team, as his Trojans lost in Champaign to the Fighting Illini and their head coach Curly Howard of Three Stooges fame.

SEC

Alabama still lives rent-free in Kirby Smart’s oversized head. As much success as he’s had at Georgia, it has not been at the expense of Bama. In a heavyweight slugfest between the hedges in Athens, Alabama once again got the best of Kirby and the Dawgs, winning 24–21. Kirby is now 1–7 against Alabama as Georgia’s head ball coach.

Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin and the Rebs knocked off Brian Kelly and his LSU Tigers in Oxford, 24–19. The bigger drama? Lane’s daughter is dating Whit Weeks, LSU’s star linebacker. Whit literally left it all out on the field Saturday.

Leaving all out on the field!

Big 12

On Friday night in Tempe, the ASU Sun Devils squeaked past TCU 27–24. QB Sam Leavitt led the Sun Devils with 291 yards and two TDs. In Ames Iowa, Iowa state throttled UofA 39-14. 

Upset of the Week

In Charlottesville,VA,  the Wahoos knocked off 4th-ranked Florida State in a massive upset. It took two overtimes, but Virginia prevailed 46–38. Thousands of students stormed the field after the final whistle in celebration. Thee scenes are what make college football special.

They're streaking through the quad!

Others

Notre Dame’s offense finally showed what it’s capable of, annihilating the Razorbacks in Fayetteville 56–13. Unfortunately, the loss cost Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman his job, as he was fired Sunday morning.

Current Group of Five front-runner Memphis traveled to Boca Raton and kicked the hoot out of the Owls, 55–25.

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Bieber Award

This week’s Bieber Award goes to the institution of Oklahoma State University. Fittingly, it happens to be the alma mater of both my wife and father-in-law.

The reason for this dubious honor: the unceremonious firing of Mike Gundy. Gundy has been Oklahoma State’s head coach for over 20 years, after previously serving as an assistant—and before that, starring as QB when Mrs. Tailgate was matriculating  in Stillwater. He has given more than two-thirds of his life to the school. Oh, and he’s also the winningest coach in OSU history, the man who kept the Cowboys relevant despite never having the recruiting clout of Oklahoma or Texas.

Granted, this year wasn’t off to a stellar start for the pokes. But for someone who gave so much of his life to the school, the right thing would have been to let him finish the season, then mutually part ways—maybe even offering him a role in the athletic department. Instead, the administration tossed him aside like yesterday’s news after week 4. 

Gundy added plenty of trophies to the case in Stillwater by winning numerous bowl games. The one he didn’t win? The Bieber Trophy. That honor now goes to the Oklahoma State University administration. So enjoy your new hardware—and make sure you own it.

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No Ginger Award This Week - need you three readers to send me worthy candidates.

Next Up

I’ll be traveling back to my alma mater for Homecoming Weekend. The mighty Bobcats of Frostburg State, after winning their fourth game this weekend, will be gunning for their fifth straight victory as they take on Concord University.

Week 4 – “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Two Tailgates”

Before I recap this past awesome weekend, I must do a shameless plug for the Tailgate Connect Podcast that was started back in August. Here are the links to Spotify and Apple. Our Celeb host Luke Lorick drops an episode each week.

https://open.spotify.com/show/6gAjdvh7JHUadsuTZ4Ylh0 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tailgate-connect-podcast/id1831200374

We found ourselves back in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country for a wedding and to visit family and friends. Oh, and it just so happened that there was a tailgate at Hampden-Sydney College and a game at Liberty University on Saturday. So naturally, we needed to set our priorities straight.

Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, VA, jumped up to Division 1A seven years ago and now plays in Conference USA. They’ve had significant success since the move and are known for a strong game-day atmosphere. The school was founded by Jerry Falwell and is one of the largest religious-based institutions in the country.

But before heading over to Liberty, we tailgated at Division III powerhouse Hampden-Sydney before their matchup with Shenandoah. HSC is located near Farmville, VA. We were invited to the players’ parents’ tailgate with our friends, the Kernans of Frostburg fame. We met some great families, chowed on vittles, and enjoyed a breakfast beverage. Mrs. Tailgate and I had last been at Hampden-Sydney eleven years ago to see their son Joey play in his senior send-off game.

The awesome crew at the Hampden Sydney College Tailgate

Halfway between Hampden-Sydney and Lynchburg sits the historic town of Appomattox, where the War Between the States (nothing civil about war)—or as my Major Huddleston from Tennessee called it, “The War of Northern Aggression”—ended with Robert E. Lee surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant. Of course, being the Clark Griswold I am, we stopped and spent 20 minutes touring the national park. Then onward to the mecca of Lynchburg, VA, to watch the “Battle of the Blue Ridge” between the Liberty Flames and the Dukes of James Madison.

Liberty is a Christian school with a ton of money, beautiful facilities, and new structures rising all over campus. It is a “dry” campus with no alcohol sales in the stadium. That being said, everyone has their vices—and at Williams Stadium, they’re sweet ones. I have never seen more sugar-focused vendors in one place: cookies, bundt cakes, sno-cones, açaí bowls, ice cream, chocolates—you name it. They’re high on religion and on sugar!

The happy tailgate couple at Falwell U. Amazing setting.

Prior to the game, there was an emotional tribute to Charlie Kirk, who was callously assassinated just ten days prior. The stadium stood in unison and applauded. It was a touching and memorable moment for the Liberty faithful.

Tribute to CK, proof we tailgated at both spots, the scenic backdrop behind Williams stadium.

In the first half, each team started off trading field goals and then touchdowns. Although JMU was favored by 8.5 points, Liberty showed up to play, and the teams went into the locker room knotted at 10 a side.

We were treated to an amazing halftime performance by the Liberty marching band performing songs from Top Gun. Liberty opened the second half with another field goal to take a three-point lead. That would be the last lead they would see, as JMU reeled off three touchdowns while suffocating the Flames on defense. Final score: JMU 31, Liberty 13.

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Around the Country

• The aforementioned Hampden-Sydney Tigers stung the Shenandoah Hornets with a lopsided 42–7 win.
  
  

• Texas Tech went “full Red raider” and dropped the Utes in Salt Lake City 34–10. Our Tailgate Connect host in Utah, The Pig Bus, was even featured on the Fox Big Noon Saturday show.
  
  

• Oklahoma welcomed back their former QB1Jackson Arnold to Norman by sacking him ten times, as Auburn fell to the Sooners in a tight  battle, 24–17.
  
  

• What in tarnation is going on in Clemson? They lost to another team clad in orange this weekend—a game they should have won. Syracuse beat the Fighting Dabos 34–17 in Death Valley, SC. Klubnik is no longer a Heisman candidate. The Tigers have no shot at the playoffs and now Dabo is on the hot seat. Well, there is that speculation but he will not be fired.
  
  

• Iowa came from behind to beat a much-improved Rutgers Scarlet Knights squad on Friday night, 38–28. Thats right, Iowa scored more points in one game then they do in most seasons! The game was much closer than the final score.
  
  

• Staying in the Big Ten, Indiana is back, absolutely destroying #9 Illinois 63–10. Yes, yes, yes—just Google it. Cignetti wins.
  
  

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Bieber Award -  I know it’s unprecedented for a high school kid to win a Bieber Award, but when you weigh 400 pounds and do something so stupid that Jackass wouldn’t even film it, you get noticed. Many of you have seen the video of the heinous act in Michigan during a JV game. A player from the opposing team was lying on the ground, clearly out of the play and yards behind the action. This giant Baby Huey of a specimen thought it would be a good idea to do a WWE-style top-rope drop onto this kid, who was a third his size. Not only did he score a direct hit, but he broke the poor kid’s spine in three places. I don’t yet know the outlook for the injured player but will pray for his recovery. We also don’t know if Baluga will be charged with assault, but if he is and goes to juvie, he can show off his shiny Bieber hardware to his fellow blockmates! (Name withheld due to the age of the perp)

The assualt.

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Ginger Award -  Oh, what the heck. In a week of lesser accomplishments, I’m giving this week’s honors to none other than yours truly and Mrs. Tailgate. I’ve tailgated twice in a day before, but I also attended both games when I did that. This past Saturday was a first: tailgating at one school, then driving to another for a game. And yes, we did have a beverage upon arrival at Liberty to make it officially a “double-gate day.” Additionally, we fit in some Griswolding with our stop at Appomattox between the two schools. Unless you can top that this week with a more “badass’ story, I’m taking the hardware to my trophy shelf!

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Next Up -  A weekend off after four straight weeks and seven games already. We’ll be on the Redneck Riviera, beaching and bar-hopping on Saturday, then watching the big games at night back at the Billet on the Bayou. Oh okay, who am I kidding. I will try to slip away to watch the local South Walton high school game on Friday night!

Happy Tailgating!

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
  
  

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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!

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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!

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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.

  
  
  
  

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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.
  
  

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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.

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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!