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Noon kickoff? Here are 5 recipes and tips for morning tailgating
By Will Ogburn
Published:
Here in the SEC, we’re not nuts about noon kickoffs, but because of the variance in scheduling from week to week, noon kicks are a fact of life at least part of the time. Veteran tailgaters, however, don’t despair. Rather, they adjust their strategy.
Well, we’re here with some tips and recipes to help you for those morning tailgate sessions. Whether your game is kicking off at noon, or you’re just getting started, these tips should be quite useful.
1. Beermosas!
You can never go wrong with a cold Bud Light regardless of the time of day, but if you’re looking for a little change, why not try a beermosa? Two parts Bud Light and one part orange juice? Easy enough.
These exotic-looking drinks are perfect for some pregame sipping, and they make you look like a responsible adult to your Instagram followers.
2. Cheesy Sausage Balls
Need a brunch-like food item? These cheesy sausage balls are insanely addicting. Seriously. I once ate somewhere in the 30-40 range of these during the course of a Saturday a few years back.
They’re filling, tasty and enough carbs for a long day of tailgating.
3. Get Everything Ready the Night Before
College football fans have been known to go overboard with tailgating gear, and that remains true for early games. Noon kickoffs present an interesting challenge, however. The added daylight means that your inflatables, costumes, and props will be highly visible, but the early start means that it’s much better to get everything done ahead of time.
Taking a little extra time the night before is much better than to trying to cobble together everything together while you’re still waking up.
4. Balloons
See that balloon up there? Pretty hard to miss. This is why balloons make a great waypoint to show your friends where you’re tailgating. Instead of saying “Lot seven, section…”, just say “Under the balloons”, and your friends will know exactly where to look. It has a double positive when the game ends, as even the most confused traveler can follow a cluster of balloons back to their car.
5. You Don’t Have Enough Ice
Unless you’re tailgating in the Alps, chances are you can use more ice. Most teams only have one or two noon kickoffs in a year, and this is the most common item on the checklist that changes when the kickoff time moves up. For instance, Ole Miss kicks off at noon on Saturday, and it could be up to 40 degrees hotter than the 7:00 PM start time last weekend.
Bring extra ice, and if it goes unused, your pocketbook won’t sweat the three-dollar investment.
Enjoy the games this Saturday! There are only a few Saturdays down south remaining this season, so make the most of them! And always, remember to drink responsibly.
A former resident of both Baton Rouge and the heart of Crimson Tide country, Will Ogburn handles multimedia content and news coverage for Saturday Down South.
