College Football 2011: 8 Tailgates That Will Be Better Than the Game in Week 2

There certainly were some great games and amazing finishes in Week 1. Now that we're looking forward to Week 2, we're sure to find a few more thrillers.

But this week just doesn't seem to have the save level of anticipation. Perhaps it's because the season has started, and there's no three-month build-up to Week 2. Or perhaps it's because Week 2 doesn't offer the same level of top-tier matchups that we saw in Week 1.

We're sure to see a few barn-burners, but here are a few games where the tailgating will be more exciting for fans than the actual games—even a few games involving the Top 25.

New Mexico at No. 12 Arkansas

The Razorbacks started the season with an expected blowout of FCS Missouri State in Fayetteville. For Week 2, the Hogs welcome a team almost as bad: New Mexico.

Last season, the Lobos finished with a record of 1-11. In Week 1 this season, the Lobos dropped a close game to Colorado State, 14-10.

This is going to be a game that's over by halftime, and the starters probably won't see the field much after the break.

The most interesting part of this game is the fact that it's one of the two opportunities this season that fans in the Little Rock area will have to attend a Razorbacks game. This 6:00 pm local kickoff will be at the War Memorial in Little Rock. The Hogs won't return to the state's capital until November 19, when they host Mississippi State.

Alabama-Birmingham at No. 18 Florida

Based on the Gators' performance in Week 1 (41-3 victory over Florida Atlantic), there's reason to believe Florida will be able to improve on last season's 8-5 mark.

Florida is already 1-0, and it's probably not overly presumptuous to figure they'll be 2-0 in a few days.

Alabama-Birmingham's 4-8 record from 2010 is right around average for the Blazers. There's absolutely no reason to think UAB will be any better this season than last.

The Blazers' defense just isn't up to snuff, and Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis should be able to engineer a game plan to put up more than a handful of points on the scoreboard against UAB.

In every facet of this 7:00 pm game at the Swamp, the Blazers will be completely and utterly over-matched. If there's one thing Florida fans know how to do, it's party. And you can bet there will be a few parties in Gainesville much more exciting than this game.

No. 6 Stanford at Duke

This East vs. West clash of private colleges probably won't be of much interest to anyone other than the students and alumni bases of the two participants.

Stanford comes into the game as the No. 6 team in the nation, and Duke comes in as team that was beaten last week by an FCS opponent (Richmond).

Duke just isn't a quality opponent for most teams, much less the No. 6 team in the country. Andrew Luck will have no problem picking apart the Blue Devils' defense, and the game will be terribly lopsided in the first half. In fact, you'll probably see the Stanford starters finish their work for the day sometime in the second quarter.

Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee State

Talk about a game that has very little meaning...

Georgia Tech is 1-0, having beaten an FCS opponent in Week 1, while Middle Tennessee State is 0-1 after losing to a pretty mediocre Purdue team in a close game.

Neither team is really expected to make any noise this season in their respective conferences, to say nothing of nationally.

The Blue Raiders have been chugging along since joining the FBS in 1999, and have found their way to three bowl games since. While 2009 was a banner year for MTSU, finishing 10-3, there was an abrupt fall off last season, where the Blue Raiders stumbled across the finish line with a 6-7 mark.

Georgia Tech, for their part, has posted nearly identical marks over the past two seasons, having a 10-4 record in 2009 in which they lost their final three games, including the ACC Championship Game, and the Orange Bowl. Last year, the Yellow Jackets finished 6-7, and settled for a bid to the Independence Bowl (which they promptly lost to Air Force).

While the Rambling Wreck did put up 63 points in week one, FCS Western Carolina didn't put up much resistance. The concern is the 21 points the Jackets allowed to Catamounts last week.

If you're heading out to this tailgater, you might want to take the opportunity to check out Murfreesboro. There's bound to be something to do in town more exciting that watching the Yellow Jackets and Blue Raiders stumble all over themselves.

FCS South Dakota State at Illinois

This game appears on our list not only in its own right, but also as a representative of all FBS vs. FCS games this weekend. Take your pick. Whether it's Northwestern State at LSU, Southern Illinois at Ole Miss, or Wofford at Clemson, they all offer up a good chance to catch a quick nap during an otherwise busy day of football.

Illinois hasn't posted a double-digit win season since 2001, and a decade later, that streak looks to remain intact.

The Fighting Illini have tried in vein to break out in the Big Ten. Last season's 7-5 record was an improvement over 2009's 3-9, but it's nowhere near being considered a top-tied Big Ten team. While Illinois's schedule this season sets up nicely, with the absence of Michigan State and Nebraska, the Illini have impending showdowns with Arizona State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin—all likely losses.

This week, Illinois hosts FCS South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are a middle-of-the-road team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the FCS. The Fighting Illini will be more than match for the Jackrabbits, and this game probably won't tell us much about either team.

Rather than taking in a lopsided game, you might want to try Fat City Bar & Grill in Champaign. Best part about Fat City is that you can catch the shuttle from the game directly to the bar. How great is that?

Florida Atlantic at No. 17 Michigan State

This is the second game in the home-and-home series between Florida Atlantic and Michigan State. Last year, FAU's “home” game was played at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan; just 80 miles from East Lansing, but a whopping 1,120 from Boca Raton.

Probably the closest thing about the 2010 game was the fact that it was so close to East Lansing, as the Spartans beat the Owls 30-17.

While MSU had a less-than-stellar performance against Youngstown State last week, there's little doubt that the MSU coaching staff will have their players fired up for their second outing. The game will have a similar result to last year's contest between these two programs.

There a precious few warm Saturdays in the fall in East Lansing. After taking in a few at the typically massive tailgater at Spartan Stadium, why not head over to one of the several Lansing-area hot spots? For the college-esque atmosphere, head over to Sparty's. Or, if you're looking to watch basically every game imaginable, you can check out Reno's East Side Sports Bar. There are 50 flat screen televisions for your viewing pleasure. No joke, 50.

Don't worry. Plenty of them will be showing the MSU beat-down of FAU.  After all, Michigan State has a lot to prove that they deserve their No. 17 ranking after the aforementioned uninspiring win against YSU.

Memphis at Arkansas State

Wow, really?

These two teams combined for five wins last season (Memphis was 1-11 while Arkansas State was 4-8). This season has started 0-1 for both, and completely lackluster performances in week one have given us no reason to get excited about either team.

If you're headed over to Jonesboro, Arkansas for this game, make sure you bring plenty of food and drink. You might want to skip a good portion of this game. There's bound to be more interesting things taking place outside of the stadium.

California at Colorado

Colorado will have its first crack at a conference opponent since joining the Pac-12. But since this game was scheduled prior to Colorado's joining the conference, the game is not a Pac-12 conference matchup. Win or lose, both teams will still be 0-0 in the Pac-12.

Other than the meaninglessness of this game in terms of conference standings, it probably won't mean much more outside of the conference. Neither the Buffaloes nor the Bears are going to be making much noise this year.

Colorado has already posted an embarrassing loss, dropping a 34-17 decision to Hawaii in week one. Cal started off on a much better note, also beating a WAC team—Fresno State—in their opener, 36-21.

With all of the ranked teams in the Pac-12 this season, it's likely that these two teams will be relegated to “also-ran” status in the conference. At least Cal fans will have their first opportunity to check out the Boulder area hangouts. The Sink is a place a lot of Berkeley hippies will like. The menu features only “grass-fed” beef, and other organic, naturally-produced products. Heck, their website even has a page dedicated to “Conservation Efforts.”

Perhaps the Berkeley crowd has found a kindred spirit in the Buffs.