Everything you need to know before your first Ohio State tailgate

As a freshman you are probably wondering what to expect for your first college tailgate. Spoiler alert: you will most likely be chugging cheap beer or liquor in your dorm 45 minutes before kickoff. Tailgating at Ohio State is an art. It takes at least one full year of college to fully master tailgating (unless you read this list).

Here are some ways to tailgate like a veteran at Ohio State.

Go to ‘Block’

If you are lucky enough to ever be involved in Greek life or have friends in it to invite you to their tailgates, make sure to take them up on their offer and get your ass to Block. Block is a game day tailgate thrown by different frats/sororities. It’s a good place to get free drinks and meet new people. It’s also one of the best places to tailgate if there is an away game.

Wake up early

Waking up early is essential, especially if kickoff is at noon. Try and wake up around 9:00 a.m. so you have a few hours to prepare for the game. Don’t go too hard on Friday nights in order to save your energy for Saturday. You only have so many game days until you graduate so make them count.

Eat a big breakfast

Before you start chugging beer, remember to eat some form of breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon or anything you can order at Panera would be an ideal choice. You do not want to be the person that misses the game because you wound up puking outside the stadium instead.

Funnels are a cheat code

Drinking crappy tasting beer can be tough, so why not make it simple? The funnel (or beer bong, depending on who you ask) is the one of the best investments you’ll make in college because it allows you to finish a beer in 10 seconds or less. You can sneak one of these into your dorm room no problem, making them a great tool to help pregame.

Four Lokos are always an economical choice

Welcome to Ohio State, where we invented the Four Loko (yes, three guys who graduated from here invented this drink, but that is a separate story). Anyway, most people only need to drink one to be completely obliterated – and considering one can only costs $2.50, it’s a dangerously cost effective way to get you fucked up.

Sneak liquor into the stadium

This is more important for the games in November when the temperature is in the 30s at night. Find a way to sneak in some type of liquor that will keep you warm throughout the game. Pro tip: the mini bottles of liquor are perfect for hiding in random places in your wardrobe. I would recommend something along the lines of whiskey or bourbon, but the option is yours.

Don’t forget your tickets and Buck ID

I’ve watched the scene play out too many times: you walk up to the gate at the stadium with your group of friends and one of them either forgets their ticket, their Buck ID, or worse, both. Now your friend has to run all the way home to grab his stuff and ends up missing the first quarter. Make sure you have everything you need before you leave to avoid this problem.

Go Bucks!

Finally the most important tip of all is to have fun and be safe. Enjoy your game days as a buckeye because once you graduate you will not be able to buy that $252 student ticket package.