You be trippin'?!

[Donuthole]

I'm going to LSU with the Cougar Club and the whole family.
I'm going to Mississippi St. with my 10 year old. I have tickets but no flights, hotel, car etc. I could use advice on this one.

Starkville is tough. IIRC, it's within 2-6 hours of about 5 airports, so even though you won't be able to fly right into town, you should have plenty of flight options. While flying into Jackson gets you closest to Starkville (2 hrs), it's also going to be more expensive. If it were me, I'd fly I to New Orleans a day or two early and hang out there. Memphis would be my second choice.

[Green Monstah]

Galleria and midtown have the best restaurants.


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galleria restaurants are okay. Good steakhouses.

[Clark Addison]

Thanks all for the advice, but I don't know if I am going to focus on the restaurants so much. When I took my daughter to Provo for the Texas game, she was mad at me for about an hour because we went to a local taco place (recommended by CS!) rather than Taco Bell. When she got up to the counter she sullenly asked "Do you have an original taco?", to the confusion of the staff. She was not even mollified after we saw Coach there.

So my point is that we may go out and stay at the beach, because I don't know how much high dining we will be doing.

[Crockett]

Starkville is tough. IIRC, it's within 2-6 hours of about 5 airports, so even though you won't be able to fly right into town, you should have plenty of flight options. While flying into Jackson gets you closest to Starkville (2 hrs), it's also going to be more expensive. If it were me, I'd fly I to New Orleans a day or two early and hang out there. Memphis would be my second choice.

If you go to Memphis, be sure to hit Gus's Fried Chicken. So good.

[LSUfan71]

Who's going to the LSU game?

Travelling there with the wifey, my brother is coming from Austin, TX to meet us.

What will the BYU tailgating scene be like? I'm really curious. I've heard plenty from the uninformed around here but no one with any real experience with BYU.

[Moliere]

Travelling there with the wifey, my brother is coming from Austin, TX to meet us.

What will the BYU tailgating scene be like? I'm really curious. I've heard plenty from the uninformed around here but no one with any real experience with BYU.

I'm pretty sure the BYU tailgating crowd will be small to nonexistent, at least in comparison to LSU. There will be an organized tailgate put on by the Houston alumni association, and I expect most people will go to that if they want to eat/socialize. I'm just smoking/eating at home and will then head to the game after eating.

Hopefully it's a fun game but ready for it to be over. The LSU fans around here are relentless. I just keep telling them that I'm focused on our big game against Portland State


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[LSUfan71]

...I'm focused on our big game against Portland State

Lots of LSU fans haven't even heard BYU scheduled that game. Good move tho.

I'm looking forward to a competitive game. We'll be keeping an eye on the OL, every LSU fan will stop breathing the first time one goes down...

[LSUfan71]

Starkville is tough.

Starkville is an old indian word meaning "trailer park". And colloquially known to SEC fans as "Starkvegas".... if you haven't heard already. It is widely known outside of Starkville that the cowbells are primarily responsible for sending top recruits to other schools.

Ok, my anti-Miss St rant is over. Apologies.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Starkville is an old indian word meaning "trailer park". And colloquially known to SEC fans as "Starkvegas".... if you haven't heard already. It is widely known outside of Starkville that the cowbells are primarily responsible for sending top recruits to other schools.

Ok, my anti-Miss St rant is over. Apologies.

Funny stuff!

[Parrot Head]

I'm sure everyone is already making their big plans for the ECU game in Greenville ('Green-vul) but just haven't posted them here yet due to excitement for the Portland State game. But I do want to pass along some food suggestions while you're in the area because, well, the food is fantastic.

That area is the home of Eastern NC style bbq and there are some options that you just can't go wrong with. This is pulled pork, whole hog goodness and in the east it's a thin, pepper-rich vinegar-based sauce, no tomato or -- bleh -- mustard-based SC sauce.

• Bill's (Wilson, NC) -- This is my favorite. "From the squeal to the meal." Due to hurricanes and flooding, Bill's became a buffet several years back and it's great. The fried chicken is like cocaine (per Mrs. PH, though I'm afraid to question her knowledge of the similarities) and you want the bbq to go with it, along with hushpupppies, corn sticks, Brunswick stew, slaw and finish it off with some of the best banana pudding anywhere. They also have pre-frozen pints and quarts in the drive-thru in case you need to catch a plane, take some home, heal a black eye.
• Parker's (Wilson) -- Parker's is similar to Bill's and half my family prefers that over Bill's, but it's a preference thing. They don't have a buffet, but the livers and gizzards are supposedly quite delicious. Go with the same items as above. And some of my family helped to build the restaurant, so that's a bonus. They're not too far from each other, so try them both!
• B's (Greenville) -- B's is a classic, pit-fired place with no frills mom-n-pop place. Heck, they haven't had a phone all that long. Sells out quickly, so go early.
• Skylight Inn (Ayden) -- Good, wood-fired 'cue, but it's chopped too finely for my taste, whereas the others have good-sized chunks.
  

If you're looking for a change from the BBQ, look for a Mayflower restaurant. It's a chain in the area, but they have great seafood. You can order a child's plate of popcorn shrimp and get your fried goodness on. The peppered catfish is amazing. The hushpuppies are good, but I don't like their slaw. The catfish and the popcorn shrimp, however.....

Need some breakfast before the game? Get back to Wilson (pronounced with a 't' in the middle: 'Wilt-sun) and go to Flo's Kitchen for a cat-head and tenderloin biscuit. Great biscuits. ("Cat-head" because of the size.) Also, go to the Wilson Doughnut Shop and get a chocolate covered long john and a honeybun. Good stuff and you hit the major food groups -- sugar, cream, cheese, biscuit, meat.

And if you're looking for cheap eats in a hurry, look for the chain Cook Out. They're scattered around and have solid, cheap food -- want a side of corn dog? They've got it. PAC knows the joy of a "Bacon Wrap" -- a cheap flour tortilla containing melted cheese and bacon, maybe some shredded lettuce. They have good shakes and you will come away wondering how you ate so much for so cheap.

Regional sodas? Try Cheerwine or Sun Drop. Get a Coke and put some salted peanuts in the bottle to feel Southern. More snacks? Go to a gas station and get pickled pigs feet or weird red hot dogs.

Here's to hoping there aren't any hurricanes interfering with the schedule this year.

[Omaha 680]

Just got my initial game assignments for the HS football season. I'm pleased in that I'm working at least one varsity game per week, but I'm working almost every Saturday. So it looks like all my roadies are cancelled this year, including Utah.

[Donuthole]

Just got my initial game assignments for the HS football season. I'm pleased in that I'm working at least one varsity game per week, but I'm working almost every Saturday. So it looks like all my roadies are cancelled this year, including Utah.

HS football on a Saturday? What a bunch of commies.

[Omaha 680]

HS football on a Saturday? What a bunch of commies.

Exactly. I was very perplexed when I first started here and I still think it's crazy. The only schools that consistently play Friday night games are on Staten Island.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Exactly. I was very perplexed when I first started here and I still think it's crazy. The only schools that consistently play Friday night games are on Staten Island.

Weird. Why is that?

[Omaha 680]

Weird. Why is that?

I've never gotten a definitive answer when I've asked. Some have said they don't want to deal with the security that would be required for Friday night games in a lot of neighborhoods. Some say the buses can't reliably get through traffic on Friday evenings so they need to play on Saturday to have kickoff times that don't always need to be pushed back. I think perhaps the unions may have something to do with it because Saturday games create a lot more shifts for school safety officers among others.

Staten Island is Trump territory so they do things the traditional way. #MAGA