The South's Best Tailgates 2017
Hannah Hayes
By Hannah Hayes
5. Clemson University
Credit: Gary Clark
We knew the category would be contentious. College football is one of those few topics that can make any reasonable Southerner abandon decorum, even civility, but we underestimated to just what degree your spirit would show in our poll for the South's Best Tailgate.After a year of upsets in the national press, the results of our contest proved similar, so much so that we couldn't mathematically pick a winner (which was a difficult feat for an office with quite a few Alabama fans). Instead the Crimson Tide and the Ole Miss Rebels square off again, and while the pairing isn't unfamiliar, the stakes are high in a way unprecedented in our publication's history.Yes, before we've held friendly little online contests complete with a recipe for a sheet cake iced to show off your favorite team. We've awarded Clemson the title for best tailgate a time or two. But this year's competition has brought in more votes and more ire and passion in our 51-year history than any other tailgating tango we've initiated. While this might be a sore spot for Auburn (sorry y'all), a bitter pill for Tennessee (we've already had to counsel our Editor-in-Chief), and just downright bull for our Texas fans (sometimes you just can't grab life by the horns), we heard our readers loud and clear. Remember that fabled football phrase, there's always next year!
1. (Tie) Alabama
Alabama Tailgate
Credit: Greg DuPree
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
1 of 14
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1. (Tie) Ole Miss
1. (Tie) Ole Miss
Credit: Robbie Caponetto
Oxford, Mississippi
2 of 14
3. University of Georgia
3. University of Georgia
Credit: Charles Mitchell/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Athens, Georgia
3 of 14
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4. LSU
4. LSU
Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
4 of 14
5. Clemson
5. Clemson University
Credit: Gary Clark
Clemson, South Carolina
5 of 14
6. Auburn
6. Auburn University
Credit: Courtesy of Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau
Auburn, Alabama
6 of 14
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7. University of Tennessee
7. University of Tennessee
Credit: Michael Shroyer/Getty Images
Knoxville, Tennessee
7 of 14
8. Texas A&M
8. Texas A&M
Credit: Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
College Station, Texas
8 of 14
9. University of Florida
9. University of Florida
Credit: Rob Foldy/Getty Images
Gainesville, Florida
9 of 14
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10. Florida State University
10. Florida State University
Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Tallahassee, Florida
10 of 14
11. Virginia Tech
11. Virginia Tech
Credit: Michael Shroyer/Getty Images
Blacksburg, Virginia
11 of 14
12. University of Arkansas
12. University of Arkansas
Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Fayetteville, Arkansas
12 of 14
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13. Mississippi State University
13. Mississippi State University
Credit: Rick Dole/Getty Images
Starkville, Mississippi
13 of 14
14. UNC Chapel Hill
14. UNC Chapel Hill
Credit: Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
14 of 14
By Hannah Hayes