It’s 2019 and I could not be happier to be back to bring lots of tasty treats to everyone’s college football weekends this fall! I tailed off early last year but we all enjoyed a great bowl season and then an absolutely beautiful beat down of Alabama in the National Championship from the Clemson Tigers. But enough about the past! This season I’m changing things a bit in our format. I’ll be featuring one cocktail, one canned/bottled beverage and a food item to help touch all bases for whatever you’re craving. So the rankings are out, transfers have been granted or denied eligibility and now all anyone can do is beat the guys on the other sideline!
Woo Woo
By the time this reaches all of you, we’ll clearly be through a few games already, but as always we’re going to be focusing on Saturday’s action. The start of the day that we’re all looking forward to isn’t going to necessarily get off to the strongest start unless you have a rooting interest in some of the teams. Iowa State hosts Northern Iowa, Nebraska hosts South Alabama and Ryan Day looks to kick off his first full season at Ohio State by beating down Lane Kiffin and the Owls. There was one eye catching matchup with Ole Miss heading to Memphis but now that there’s a hurricane moving in down south, Boise State is taking on Florida State in the early time slot in a now true-home game for the Seminoles.
What You’ll Need: Vodka, Peach Schnapps, cranberry juice, lime for garnish
This cocktail is simple and sweet and the way we all want to kick off our season. Combine 2 parts vodka and 1 part peach schnapps in your glass and top off with cranberry juice!
Four Loko Blaze
The afternoon schedule doesn’t bring a whole lot more excitement to the table but football is football so let’s dive in! North Carolina takes on South Carolina in a regional matchup where South Carolina holds the advantage with that SEC Speed! Beyond that, Duke has to travel to Atlanta without 6th overall pick Daniel Jones at the helm to take on that pesky Alabama team. The battle of the nerds takes place out west as Northwestern battles Stanford where I believe the winner receives the world’s largest textbook!
Okay, so the Four Loko recommendation isn’t really a recommendation because I’m not that mean of a person but I really wanted to bring attention to this nightmare. Four Loko teased a new seltzer last week and while I don’t think we’ll ever see that, I still poked around their website. I came across this beverage which I think is a cinnamon flavored death juice that they advertise with a “You could end your night in a hot tub or in a different country” tagline. Woof.
WINGS!!!
The night slate is where the fun happens. We get all of those neutral site, kickoff celebration games that we’ve been hearing about since the end of last season. Heisman Hopeful Justin Herbert and the Oregon Ducks take on Auburn at Jerry World. Both of these teams have had their shaky moments over the last few years, overachieving some weeks, underperforming others. Georgia heads to Vanderbilt to get a conference win for their Week 1 walk through. Miami (not that one, the one from Ohio) is visiting Iowa City for the Hawkeyes first ever night home opener. Finally, Oklahoma hosts Houston and their new coach Dana Holgorsen in a game that features an Over/Under line of roughly 1 million.
What You’ll Need: Wing/drummie combo, wing sauce of your choosing (Deadeye is always a top notch pick), grill
Wings are a simple grilling treat but when they’re done well they’re the greatest tailgate food around. First trick is to obviously get your grill going at a good consistent heat and for the wings themselves I recommend using a grill basket to keep everything together and easy to flip. The grilling process can take up to 45 minutes flipping once or twice as needed or if you’re feeling real adventurous, put them in a smoker for a couple hours! The biggest key is your sauce. Deadeye sauces are perfect for any bbq item but definitely wings. I’m also a big fan of a good traditional buffalo flavor, mainly the sauce I’ve learned from my dad, that’s a secret tho. Slather on a bit of sauce when you put them on the grill then a little extra when they’re done for a beautifully messy but wondrous snack!
That’s my walk through for the first week of the college football season! I’m super excited to bring fun drinks and delicious food your way this year. If you have any recommendations of your own for any of the cocktails, beers or food items send me a DM on twitter! Come back next week for fresh list of tailgate necessities!