By Andrew Reed

Throughout the season, SIOC will travel to different schools and grade the tailgate scene in 10 categories. This week's stop: Wisconsin

Setting

Wisconsin fans get ready for another Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Photo by Andrew Reed

More Tailgate Report Cards Notre Dame Clemson LSU Georgia Tech Nebraska Wisconsin Washington Red River Shootout Purdue Bridgewater Rutgers Harvard Ohio State Tennessee Michigan USC Auburn

Madison isn't exactly Gotham City, but Camp Randall Stadium still sits in a well-populated area with little breathing room. With tailgates crammed into small, commercial parking lots, neighbors have no choice but to get friendly with one another. The better option is to have a beer at Der Rathskeller at the Memorial Union which as an outdoor deck overlooking Lake Mendota. It might not truly qualify as tailgating, but the view is gorgeous. I didn't see a ton of people doing that, though.
Grade C+

Knowledge of Fans

The Wisconsin tailgate scene leads up to the game, but for many people, it's about the whole day, not just football. Until the game actually begins, food and drink take precedence. Most fans know their Wisconsin history, but only since the program's resurgence in the early '90s. For many fans, that's where Wisconsin football begins. There were far fewer TVs set up than I expected. People were interested in the Michigan-Penn State game, but more about the outcome than the game itself.
Grade: C+

Eats

It all starts with brats at Wisconsin. I don't think they let you have a tailgate unless you cook up some sausage. Cheese plates also appeared on most tables. I chowed on boiled shrimp with corn and potatoes. Someone showed up to a tailgate with fifteen pizzas. They were devoured in minutes. Far too late in the day, I went on a quest for the mythical bratburgers I kept hearing about. Alas, I was unable to find any. But I hear they're out there. Grade: B+

Drinks

It's a safe bet to say that Badger fans enjoy their alcohol. Photo by Andrew Reed

Badger fans have a reputation for tying one on before the game. With an evening kickoff, I can attest to the veracity of that claim. People drank everything. Beer was popular, but there was no shortage of liquor or wine. I was handed mojitos, bloody marys and, of course, cans of cold ones. The weirdest beverage on hand has to be the mustard-drinking contest between a Badger and a Hawkeye. Think keg-stand ... sponsored by Plochman's.
Grade: A

Yard Games

Does drinking count as a yard game? If it does, Wisconsin fans are very skilled. While many regions are devoted to beer-pong, I saw just as much flip-cup being played. Cornhole and ladder golf were set up, but for the most part went unused. The tight lots had a lot to do with that.
Grade: C

Cheers and songs

When your only group cheer is to point at anyone in an Iowa T-shirt and repeatedly chant an unprintable word, it's clear we've gone past banality into ponderousness. Vulgarity can be a wonderful thing, but you sure better do something creative with it. Or at least put together a "Let's Go Badgers" or "Go Big Red" here and there. Outside of when the marching band visited one of the lots, I didn't hear the fight song once. The music played all day was entirely from the 1980s and included Loverboy's Working for the Weekend, Foreigner's Double Vision and Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. Ouch.
Grade: F

Eye Candy

The girls in Madison look really young. I'm not sure why that is, but I had to wonder how many were up here visiting from high school. Still cute, each wore a red shirt or jersey, and they generally hung out in big groups. The area just west of the stadium is crawling with students in the hours leading up to the game, most attending parties and carousing with their friends. A lot of the girls were tipsy or perhaps a little more than tipsy. While that didn't exactly add to the allure, it seemed like a heckuva lot of fun.
Grade: B-

Superfans

Our Superfan Award goes to this Badger, who donned a kilt and Glengarry cap for the game. Photo by Andrew Reed

Painted and costumed fanatics were scarce to say the least. Red-and-white-striped pants were frequent. They match Bucky's sweater, though he doesn't wear pants. The few painted students I managed to find did a pretty solid job. My favorite getup belonged to an older gentleman who donned a red kilt and Glengarry cap.
Grade: B-

Best Tailgate

Because the same people come to the same places every week, they get to know one another. One industrious group of tailgaters banded together to rent out an entire lot themselves. With their spots already reserved, they stock an extremely full bar which includes, among other things, cactus vodka. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts as everyone gets to sample different food and drink. They also rent a Porta-potty which beats going across the street to wait in line at McDonald's with the hoi polloi.
Grade: C+

X-factor

While there's only so much space for tailgates, there are a plethora of bars around Camp Randall. Each of them featured what some would refer to as a beer garden, but was more of a beer corral. On a day as beautiful as this one, people wanted to be outside, so these areas became quite packed. Some bars featured bands while others had big screens showing other games. Providing a variety of cheap food and beer meant you could tailgate without bringing anything but yourself.
Grade: B

Wisconsin fans come out Saturdays to meet their friends and party hard. Some tailgaters have been coming to the same spots every Saturday for decades and inviting all the same people each time. The frequent rudeness to the opposing fans was lighthearted and the Hawkeyes I spoke to said they were having a great time and that people were treating them well. The Bucky brethren were ecstatic to have all day to enjoy what they were all convinced was the last nice weekend of 2007. That their team came through for them in the evening was the American cheese on the bratburger. If such a thing exists.

To read more of Andrew Reed's tailgate reports, check out his Road Games blog.