Best college tailgates by State

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Triggermv

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Jul 16, 2010
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Kansas is the biggest outlier here. If KSU has any kind of tailgating atmosphere it is better than Kansas by default.

I've been to every current Big 12 stadium outside of Tech and I'd put KSU towards the top, so the fact that they put KU on there, which is the absolute worst by a large margin, completely discredits this list. Like others have said, having Northwestern and Texas on there also is quite bad.
 

CysRage

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Oct 18, 2009
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As far as having the most fans near the stadium and pregame activities, ISU hands down. However, we tailgated in the backyard of a house on Melrose before Iowa-ISU with all you can drink Natty Light (*gone in 45 min) and Beer 30 (do they still make that stuff?). That was a blast since the Hawkeye fans there weren’t douche nozzles.
 

BillBrasky4Cy

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I think I was in Finkbine ages ago last time I tailgated there. It just seems weird to me that the best tailgating is in someone's yard. Seems counterintuitive when compared to wide open grass lots full of debauchery like at ISU. Even the paved lots are rocking here.

Oh don't get me wrong, I prefer the setup in Ames as long as the friggin grass lots aren't closed. I'm really just saying that the neighborhood tailgating is different and not terrible either.
 
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cyhiphopp

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Jan 9, 2009
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Ankeny
As far as having the most fans near the stadium and pregame activities, ISU hands down. However, we tailgated in the backyard of a house on Melrose before Iowa-ISU with all you can drink Natty Light (*gone in 45 min) and Beer 30 (do they still make that stuff?). That was a blast since the Hawkeye fans there weren’t douche nozzles.

I was not aware that this type of hawk fan existed, outside of a handful of outliers.
 

JM4CY

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This sounds crazy but I’ve heard **** gets wild on Montana Grizzly games. People up there are just completely different kinds of people. I’ve not been (but have seen the both Montana and Montana state stadiums) but I could be sold on the idea that it would super fun.
 

Nor'easter

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This is from a Barstool sports podcast I think so a lot of these picks were made to be funny or poke fun at rivals, for Iowa state I know the host of the podcast doesn't like Iowa and roots for ISU in our rivalry so that is one reason we were picked. Also Iowa State tailgates better.
 
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TXCyclones

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I've been to every current Big 12 stadium outside of Tech and I'd put KSU towards the top, so the fact that they put KU on there, which is the absolute worst by a large margin, completely discredits this list. Like others have said, having Northwestern and Texas on there also is quite bad.

KU was a horrid/atrocious take by whomever put that together. Simply stupid. But the fact that they put Marshall ahead of WVU is equally insane. WVU tailgating rivals ISU! Equally phenomenal atmosphere.
 

JM4CY

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They do exist, they are the ones who actually know the Iowa Hawkeyes only exist because they belong to an academic University. That is earth shattering to 95% of hak fans.
giphy.gif
 

SEIACyclone

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Sounds like I'm an outlier here but I really enjoyed tailgating in Austin. I guess, not so much "tailgating" but being that just a block away we were able to drink outside with other Iowa state fans with live music in November was awesome. The tailgating in the parking garages is a tad weird tho.
 

Mr Janny

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UNLV must be there by default. We went out there the last time ISU played in Vegas, and the tailgating was absolutely brutal. The parking lot was just a roped off section of desert. Sand blowing everywhere. Brutally hot. We gave it our best shot, and choked down some tallboys, but gave up after someone ran over a jack rabbit right in front of our car, and the gila monsters started swarming over the corpse. We had to fight off 3 or 4 of those poison mouthed bastards to get our camp chairs back in the trunk. @Angie got heatstroke and I had to carry her to the stadium. Swear to God.

So unless it has improved dramatically, I call BS on their tailgating scene.
 

cytor

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Ames is fantastic. A giant ass party all around the stadium. Get the **** out of here with these equal vibes to ToE. It’s not even close and there is no debate.
This 100%
 

cyclonedave25

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I’ve driven through Northwestern’s campus multiple times on Saturday mornings of home games and you couldn’t convince me there’s a game in a couple hours. But I really don’t know who else you would put above them. Illinois is just too much of a pro sports state. U of Illinois has home crowds that rival Kansas level of suck. Northwestern has more visitors than home fans.
 
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Angie

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UNLV must be there by default. We went out there the last time ISU played in Vegas, and the tailgating was absolutely brutal. The parking lot was just a roped off section of desert. Sand blowing everywhere. Brutally hot. We gave it our best shot, and choked down some tallboys, but gave up after someone ran over a jack rabbit right in front of our car, and the gila monsters started swarming over the corpse. We had to fight off 3 or 4 of those poison mouthed bastards to get our camp chairs back in the trunk. @Angie got heatstroke and I had to carry her to the stadium. Swear to God.

So unless it has improved dramatically, I call BS on their tailgating scene.

Yeah, for sure they let you fireman-carry a woman full-on passed out into a stadium full of bathroom stalls and dark corners. What do you think it is, University of Iowa?
 

ESciGuy

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Mar 16, 2010
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Joliet, IL
Sounds like I'm an outlier here but I really enjoyed tailgating in Austin. I guess, not so much "tailgating" but being that just a block away we were able to drink outside with other Iowa state fans with live music in November was awesome. The tailgating in the parking garages is a tad weird tho.
We were at the 2010 game that ISU won (yay, P Rhoads and A Arnaud!) It was drizzly before the game, so we were "tailgating" in our parking garage. Yes, it was weird. The stadium is enormous, but was not impressed by the scene outside it. Just little pockets of tailgating here and there -- ISU blows it out of the water. Austin, of course, was awesome the night before, though. The best part, besides winning the game, was listening to the call-in show on the drive back to FW. "We got beat by a bunch of pig farmers -- this is totally unacceptable!"