South Carolina Football named top-10 tailgate experience

The South Carolina football team opened its 2023 season last Saturday against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the College GameDay matchup of the week. The game was played in Charlotte, however, a neutral site. That means that neither program had a chance to play in front of their home crowd..

Because the rivalry game was during week 1 of the college football season, it was also National Tailgate Day (always the first major Saturday of college football season). The Gamecocks and Tar Heels, though, were forced to wait a week to celebrate the festive day.

Speaking of South Carolina football tailgating, in news that comes as no surprise to anyone and everyone who has any association with the South Carolina football program, the Gamecocks’ tailgating scene was ranked as one of the best in the entire country.

According to a list from RotoWire‘s BJ Courchaire, South Carolina football tailgating is the 7th-best in all of college football.

Called a “cant-miss experience” by Courchaire, tailgating in Columbia with South Carolina Gamecocks fans is joined on RotoWire’s top-10 list by other tailgating experiences that include environments outside of football games for the:

• LSU Tigers (Baton Rogue, Louisiana)
• Ole Miss Rebels (Oxford, Mississippi)
• Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, Ohio)
• Wisconsin Badgers (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Southern Cal Trojans (Los Angeles, California)
• Penn State Nittany Lions (Happy Valley, State College, Pennsylvania)
• Alabama Crimson Tide (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
• Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Texas Longhorns (Austin, Texas)

Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks and Mack Brown’s Tar Heels will kick off on Saturday at 7:44 on ABC and the ESPN App. This will be the fourth-straight meeting between the two programs that will be played in Charlotte (2015, 2019, 2021 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and 2023).

The Cockabooses, fairgrounds, and downtown Columbia festivities are back on Saturday as South Carolina football fans have their first opportunity to tailgate outside of the friendly confines of Williams-Brice Stadium when the Gamecocks welcome the Furman Paladins for a 7:30 kick that will be broadcast on the SECNetwork+ and the ESPN App.