The college football offseason is (very) long and that makes for some entertainment in non-peak months in the sport. That means rankings, lists and arguments of many kinds to keep the attention of various fan bases and one such jumping off point comes from the good folks at Tailgater Magazine.
Before the 2017 season begins, the magazine released a ranking of the top-10 tailgating schools and the usual suspects are included. At the very top, LSU and Ole Miss land at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively and the writer provides this as the background for the Rebels in the runner-up position.
One of our best college football tailgating tips is to check out "The Grove," a 10-acre expanse which is home to some of the best and fanciest tailgating you'll find in the country. A trip to the quaint and charming Oxford is simply not complete without experiencing what many would consider a strong contender for the best tailgate in the nation.
It would be impossible to argue against the inclusion of Ole Miss and, even if you think they should be lower on the list, it is unequivocally a top-10 spot and that is doubly true for Baton Rouge and LSU. Elsewhere on the list, though, things get to be problematic.
Georgia comes in at No. 9 overall and, well, that is too low. The list describes Athens as "one of the most quintessential college towns in America" and that is spot-on but the tailgating atmosphere is legendary outside Sanford Stadium and the Dawgs are undervalued in this spot. Beyond that, only two Big Ten team (Wisconsin at No. 4 and Nebraska at No. 5 overall) arrives on the list, which is sure to make programs like Ohio State and Michigan less than thrilled.
Programs from the South have an inherent advantage with weather and, at least to some degree, it does make sense that six SEC programs and one ACC program make the cut. That won't stop the "bias!" accusations from flowing, though, and this list does the job in ramping up conversations (read: arguments) on the subject at hand.
