This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Luckily, as the years progressed and the team started winning, we made a habbit of getting down to campus early and partaking in a variety of tailgating experiences. Sometimes, we'd keep it simple by heading over to The Pantry downtown or La Barca over on Vermont. Either way, a plate full of pancakes or an enormous burrito would certainly satisfy any pre-game hunger. The Galen Center over by Heritage Hall, the athlete's dining hall, was also a common destination due to the number of T.V.s it had. Hey, we always had to keep tabs on how the rest of the Pac-10 was doing. Could't miss the beat-down said team was putting on the Bruins. 

Over the last few years, however, we started making a habit of befriending some fellow 'SC fans (it was about time) and tailgating just outside the peristyle end of the Coliseum near the Sports Arena. The spread didn't consist of much more than burgers, dogs, cokes, and beer. With our new tailgating group, we made frequent trips to the Rose Bowl for games against UCLA and for New Year's Day. In 2007, we made the trip to South Bend for the Notre Dame game for I was considering becoming a Domer at that point in time.

Looking back on my past tailgating experiences, excluding my first year at 'SC which I won't get into, nothing too extra special really happened. In general, tailgating was pretty nondescript for my family. We ate food in a small group, watched some of the other games, and talked football. But that's what makes tailgating special. It isn't the quantity or quality of food. The number of people. The number of drinks you have. Whether the game is against a top-25 team or not. It's about spending time with friends and family, eating, talking football, and throwing the 'ol pigskin around outside the stadium. That's what important. And growing up, I certainly had all of that.

What are your tailgating stories?