The 5 Best College Football Rivalry Games for Tailgating

If you're looking for a great college football tailgating experience, your best bet would be to choose one of the sport's biggest rivalry games if you truly want to have a memorable weekend.

The tailgating before a big college football rivalry game is unlike any other experience you can have as a sports fan, as you've got tens of thousands of people surrounding you and doing their best to get pumped up for the game, while throwing a few verbal body blows at any rival fans who happen to walk by.

So which big college football rivalry games are really the best for tailgating? 

No. 1 is probably pretty obvious, but there are a few other games that offer up some great pregame experiences as well.

Florida vs. Georgia

School and city officials may be trying to downplay the name World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, but there's still no place to party like Jacksonville on the weekend of the Florida-Georgia game.

The tailgating and drinking that goes on that Saturday can put almost any other tailgating experience in college football to shame.

Alabama vs. Auburn

You could say that the Iron Bowl is Alabama's version of a Super Bowl, and you wouldn't be too far off.

Everyone around the state prepares all year for Alabama vs. Auburn, and when that day finally comes, it's time to celebrate and have fun.

This is one of the most intense rivalries in college football history, and you can feel that passion flowing throughout the air hours before kickoff.

Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia

I’ve personally tailgated for this one on a few occasions, and I can say from experience that there are not many energies in college football that can compare to the energy before a Backyard Brawl between West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh.

Both of these fanbases can get rowdy and wild, and there's obvious disdain flowing from both sides. It certainly makes for some interesting parking lot meetings when the opposing fans catch a glimpse of each other before the game.

Oklahoma vs. Texas

I've never been to the Red River Rivalry game between Oklahoma and Texas, but for some reason, I imagine that tailgating for that game would involve a lot of barbecued ribs and plenty of Coors Light.

Over the last decade, the Oklahoma-Texas game has been one of the most important games every season, and you can truly tell by the crowd that it's not just simply a game—it's a college football event.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

With two of the biggest stadiums in the country, there's never a shortage of fans who turn out when Ohio State and Michigan clash in the sport's most heated rivalry game.

Every year, more than 100,000 fans convene on the stadium to shout jeers at each other and root on their teams. The bitterness and contempt these two fanbases have for each other make for an interesting pregame atmosphere.