SEC Football: Top Five Tailgating Traditions

The SEC is known for its top-rated teams and die-hard fans. With the 2010 football season just weeks away, tailgaters are getting ready to strut their stuff southern style. Here are the top five tailgating traditions that make SEC games like no other in the country. 

Finger-Lickin' Food

1. Finger-Lickin' Food. Stop at any SEC tailgate party and you’ll find southern staples like fried chicken, barbeque pork sandwiches on white bread, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs and lemon bars. It’s timeless, finger-lickin’ football fare.

Hair of the Dog

2. Hair of the Dog. No matter the time of day, cocktails are on the tailgate menu. Fans in the SEC are known to stir up a tangy Bloody Mary in the morning followed by bourbon and Coke in the afternoon. Icy beers are de rigueur anytime.

Eye-Popping Football Fashion

3. Eye-popping football fashion. Team t-shirts and jerseys are for the faint of heart. In the SEC, football fans favor in-your-face fashion. Brightly-colored pants, sports shirts and stadium skirts peppered with lots of school logos are considered southern-chic stadium style.

Mascot Madness

4. Mascot Madness. SEC fans LOVE their team mascots. Whether it’s spontaneous shouts of “Woof, Woof, Woof” at UGA, cries of “Woo Pig Sooie” in Arkansas or wild gator-chomp arm motions in Florida, football games unleash our animal instinct.   

Soulful Soundtrack

5. Soulful soundtrack. The South is the home of jazz, the blues and football-inspired music. Any good tailgating party is set to a soundtrack of team novelty tunes sure to touch the souls of faithful fans. From marching bands to the legendary James Brown belting out a UGA classic ("Dooley's Junkyard Dawgs!"), SEC fight songs are one of a kind.

Got your own SEC tailgate tradition? Use the comment space to share.