The 2024 UMTailgate Themes
/8/31 The Lahaina Luau - Fresno State, 7:30P Kick
Told my wife all the themes are going to be cities. She said “oh, cool, what’s the first one?”. I said “Maui Luau”. She said “That’s not a city.” In short, I’m not a smart man. Anyway, Lahaina is a city. The first theme is a Luau, and there will be a pig on site. A little fella. Spam fried rice, coconut greens, meatballs, sliders, etc etc. This ain’t your first Luau.
9/7 The Dallas Texas State Fair - Texas, Noon Kick
Noon kick makes this a stretch but hopefully we can fry some interesting stuff and serve it with some giant beef burger porn. Horns down and whatnot.
9/14 The Little Rock Diner - Arkansas State, Noon Kick
Is Arkansas State in Little Rock? No. Is there amazing diner culture in Little Rock? No. Do I want to make southern style breakfast? Yes. This is the way.
9/21 The Los Angeles H-Mart - USC, 3:30P Kick
Always my favorite theme each year as I am obsessed with Korean food. Tteokbokki, Bulgogi, Kimchi Fried rice, etc etc. LA is a haven, H-Mart is the Mecca, and USC is coming to town for the first time since 1958. Connect those dots.
9/28 The Frankenmuth Oktoberfest - Minnesota, TBD
This will be the 5th straight home game in a row, and we’ll all probably be sick of each other at this point. Dark beer, pretzels, lederhosen, sausages, and a little brown jug will bring us all together again.
10/26 The Detroit - Little Brother, TBD
Maybe some Detroit-style pies, coney dogs, or maybe a combination of the two. Kickoff time will dictate if we sneak in some greektown-ish breakfast too…or Mom’s Spaghetti.
11/2 The Portland - Oregon, TBD
Food truck fare, likely involving duck, hopefully in the cold to throw the opponent off. I’m obsessed with Lardo PDX (more specifically its Vegas outpost) and their tremendous sandwiches and fries covered in pork and peppers…so something of this nature is likely on the docket.
11/23 The Chicago Bavette - Northwestern, TBD
Our classic steakhouse finale, Chicago style.
