Clemson has a storied tradition as not only one of the best tailgating spots in the country, but also one of the most hospitable. Seven Saturday’s out of every year, upwards of 100K orange-clad fans gather in the small college town in the upstate of South Carolina with one common goal in mind. Bringing their Tigers a victory.
Fansided ranked the ten best tailgating sites in the country last season, and Clemson made the cut at number eight. While some in the fan base would argue that isn’t high enough, making the top ten is quite the accomplishment in its own right. Normally, anyways.
“The Clemson Tigers own college football’s greatest entrance when they sprint down The Hill after rubbing Howard’s Rock. It’s been dubbed the, “Most exciting 25 seconds in college football,” and if you’ve seen it, let alone in person, you’d be obliged to agree.”
“Being one of the most dominant programs in the last few years helps a tailgate, also. After capping off an undefeated season in 2018, the Tigers ran the table in the postseason to finish 15-0 – the first team to do so in the College Football Playoff era.”
“The tailgating doesn’t stop when the games start, though, as Clemson continues to allow pass-outs which grant fans the opportunity to leave an re-enter Memorial Stadium. They’re subject to security screenings, but that’s the price you have to pay.”
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“Engulfed in orange and Tiger paws as soon as you get with a mile or two of Memorial Stadium, easily creating the top tailgating and pre-game experience in the ACC,” 247 Sports Brad Crawford said. “At a school that has won two national championships in the past four seasons, Clemson fans are diehard from sun up to sun down in the fall. The ‘Tiger Walk’ is something you’ll want to make sure you see.”
However, rival school UofSC also makes the list. Not only do the Gamecocks make the top ten, they come in at number two. Yes, you read that right.
“South Carolina hasn’t had a double-digit win season since 2013, but that hasn’t stopped Gamecock fans from filling Williams-Brice Stadium over the years. Before and after the game, though, you can find Gamecock fans in typical tailgating fashion – tents with food, pickup trucks stocked with coolers and other goodies, and abandoned cabooses on an old train track nearby the stadium; they call them, “Cockabooses.
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Yes, they do indeed fill the stadium up pretty much every week. However, many times over the past few seasons under Will Muschamp, the number of empty seats seen starting sometime in the third quarter has become rather routine.
Fans leaving Williams Brice early in droves has turned into a running joke actually. It has become the subject of numerous memes and gifs mocking the program.
With the two teams playing each other every season while rotating home dates, and the close proximity between the two schools, many fans of each school have attended games at both sites. Both programs have very loyal fan bases, and both fan bases come out strong in their support of their respective schools.
Although, with so many UofSC fans exiting Billy B early to congregate back at their tailgates, maybe they do have the better tailgating after all. Let’s be honest, they do spend more time at their tailgates than Clemson fans do.
Fansided Top Ten Tailgating Schools
- Ole Miss Rebels
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Tennessee Volunteers
- LSU Tigers
- Washington Huskies
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Clemson Tigers
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
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