It’s almost time for another home football weekend, folks.

Beaver Stadium is often listed as one of the best college football stadiums in the country. While there’s no denying how awesome the stadium environment is, there’s also no denying that the activities outside the stadium are just as critical to the Penn State gameday experience.

To celebrate the second home game of the season, our staffers decided to draft some of their favorite things about the tailgating scene in Happy Valley.

Let’s take a look at the whole draft board.

Now, let’s hear from each team captain.

Team Aidan

I was surprised to have finally gotten the first overall pick and went with a Conrad special: breakfast sandwiches. If you’re up tailgating in the morning, it’ll be hard to see a tailgate without this staple. In the second round, I stayed in the same vein, selecting buffalo chicken dip. Both of these foods you’ll always see at my family tailgates and for good reason. I don’t want to be at a tailgate without these two.

My round three pick was seeing parents and alumni friends. Most times, you look forward to tailgates for this reason because this is the one day of the semester you may see those people.

In the latter half of my draft, I went with beer, stack cup, and jello shots. It’s a true Penn State tailgate when these three are there.

Team Mikey

One of the best parts about tailgating is the games. Regardless of what beverages you may be consuming, playing games is the best way to pass the time and have some fun before the game. When it comes to tailgate games, pong is the best of all time, transcending generations.

Next, and my personal favorite thing about tailgating, is getting free food from parents, alumni, or friendly people who just want to share. As college students, we really appreciate it. If you’re an adult who shares your food with college students, we love you.

Next, I picked barbecue. There’s nothing like a burger or hot dog fresh off a small, portable grill. Maybe you can wish it down with a mimosa, the best breakfast drink to make at the tailgate.

I wrapped things up with “befriending the people next to you,” a timeless tailgate tradition. If they have a cute dog in a Penn State jersey? Even better.

Team Ben

With the third overall pick, I went with cornhole. Personally, cornhole is my favorite outdoor tailgate game. I knew that this would be a popular pick, so I wanted to claim it off the board as soon as possible.

For my second-round pick, I went with game predictions and recaps. It’s not a tailgate until you start questioning things like, “What do you think the score will be?” “Will we cover the spread?” or “How many touchdowns will Nick Singleton rush for?”

I went with rowdy fans for my following pick. Rowdy fans are always hilarious, whether it be because they’ve had a few too many drinks or are just really passionate about football. The rowdier the fans are, the more fun the tailgate will be. With my fourth-round pick, I went with preparing for the weather. Knowing early semester Pennsylvania weather, it’s never what you expect. If the predictions say we’ve got chances of rain, be sure to prepare for a sunny day!

With my fifth-round pick, I went with cops on horses. Police officers have a super busy day on gameday, which means they need all the help they can get, including from livestock.

Finally, I went with figuring out the right time to leave the tailgate and enter the game with my sixth-round pick. The best tailgates always end with wanting to stay for “10 more minutes,” but in perfect, unorganized, fashion, 10 minutes turns into 30 and before you know it, you missed kickoff.

Team Michael

With my first pick, I took listening to music. Throw on Blue Band classics, sing-along songs, Beaver Stadium hits, or whatever other music you enjoy to get the vibes going. In round two, I went with playing football. There’s nothing better than pretending you’re repping the blue and white in front of 107,000 fans when, in reality, you’re running a pickup game with your roommate and their dad.

My third-round pick was one that I like doing, but not everyone does. Watching College GameDay or other games while waiting for Penn State to get underway is a good time, especially on a TV in the trunk of a car or side of an RV.

Whether you’re watching a different game, playing football, or whatever else you’re up to, you may need a bathroom break. So, in the fourth round, I picked cocktagons. If you know, you know.

I was out of ideas after the fourth round, so I had to get creative for my final two picks. First, I selected seeing everyone in Penn State football jerseys. There’s just something about the basic blues and road whites that makes you feel at home.

My last pick was simply waking up early. Some hate it, some love it. I love it. That 6 a.m. alarm to get the day started is unmatched.