Here’s an impossible choice: Pick the better college football tailgate spot between The Quad and The Grove.

Tuscaloosa and Oxford set the gold standard in pregaming, not just in the SEC but maybe sports as a whole.

And we know, for some the choice remains clear as day: It’s The Grove, and everything else. But we think The Quad has just as much, if not more, to offer the gameday experience for fans looking for the best they can get.

Considered by most the best tailgating spot on Earth, The Grove at Ole Miss has become more than a fixture in college football. It’s basically legendary, and it belongs on every fan’s bucket list, especially in the SEC. Give yourself some time because the huge crowd will cause things to move pretty slowly on Saturday. Enjoy some food, beverages, bow-ties and chandeliers in tents. At 8 p.m. the Friday evening before a home football game, a siren sounds to alert tailgaters they can enter The Grove to claim a prime spot for Saturday’s game.

U.S. News & World Report’s “20 Fun College Campuses for Tailgating” included both, while 247Sports ranked The Grove No. 1 (and didn’t even include Alabama). “Words don’t do The Grove justice,” they write, accurately. The Sporting News called it “the Holy Grail of tailgating sites,” and Sports Illustrated ranked it the top tailgating school.

The credentials say it all. And yes, you really must see it for yourself: A sea of red and blue (navy or powder) sprinkled with a splash of visiting colors, unbothered and sauntering at a snail’s pace, because where else would you rather be than Oxford hours before kickoff?

One Alabama fan calls The Grove “the undisputed heavyweight champ,” assuming he means of tailgating. But remember the cry we often hear, no matter the outcome of their game on a given day: “We may not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party.”

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This is what they do. Oxford is a tailgater’s paradise, No. 1 on any legitimate college football fan’s tailgating bucket list, and for good reason. For seven Saturdays each fall, the grassy 10-acre plot heavily shaded by large oak trees transforms into a pregame haven where a swarm of red and blue tents, some adorned with actual chandeliers, and thousands of fans flock to create the college football party. The place where livewire pop star Katy Perry joined the bow-tied crew of “College GameDay” to scream “Hotty Toddy!” and set the the sport on fire moments before the Rebels shocked the Tide.

“Tailgating Goes Above and Beyond at the University of Mississippi,” The New York Times’ headline said as they paid homage to the tailgate king. “In many tents, food is served on silver trays, drinks splash through fountains and chandeliers hang from the metal supports. Fur coats abound. Jackets, ties and cowboy boots are common,” wrote James K. Gentry in 2014. “Since The Grove is in the heart of the South, manners and hospitality prevail. Visiting teams’ fans are often surprised when strangers invite them into a tent for a beer or lunch. But it goes only so far.”

Even some Alabama fans agree. We polled them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, asking who has the best tailgate between the two. They gladly chimed in, both for and against their home turf. “The Grove is the best in the SEC,” Brandon Burns said on Facebook. “They have kept their traditions and roots of the old South and how you are supposed to entertain your guests and they haven’t changed. This is coming from a Bama fan.”

Bama fan Will Markham also gave The Grove its due: “I mean, Roll Tide but, the grove is the undisputed heavyweight champ. I’d say the quad isn’t too far behind but, I mean, come on.”

Twitter user @_WFTCT_ said, “I was born in Oxford. Growing up a Rebel till I was 10 years old. We moved to Birmingham and Bear Bryant grabbed my attention. I became a Alabama fan but always a Rebel. I’ve been to games at both places many times. I’m a huge Bama Fan but the Tailgate atmosphere at Oxford is #1.”

Nearly three hours east via U.S. Highway 82 sits The Quad, 22 acres smack-dab in the heart of the University of Alabama campus, which holds its own as a pregame titan. Far from the elephant in the room, The Quad is literally more than twice the size of The Grove at 22 acres, partially covered by trees and the other part open green space where fans form their version of Tent City and revel hours before kickoff.

Most find it on foot, walking from the Strip or Walk of Champions, crossing the street to hit the Southwest corner at University Boulevard and Colonial Drive where literal thousands blend into the pavement like a busy Manhattan crosswalk. At one edge, you have the definitive campus landmark Denny Chimes, where fans marvel at the hand and footprints of legendary team captains, take selfies and meet to find their next destination.

An hour before kickoff, you can see the Elephant Stomp, the gameday tradition wherein the Million Dollar Band warm up and then march to Bryant-Denny Stadium. It’s the sights, sounds and smells of piping-hot barbecue, cornhole bags smacking crimson-painted plywood, spontaneous choruses of “Dixieland Delight” and yes, the cracking-open of one or two cold beverages. It’s organized Gump chaos, to the extreme, and music to the ears of all who rolleth with the Tide.

And to some Bama fans, size matters. User Buddy Youngblood said size matters: “The Quad is 22 acres …… the Grove …… 10. There is nothing like the Quad on GameDay. It’s unbelievable …..” Joe Tarver agrees, “Grove isn’t spacious enough.” Melissa Tew Bailey said the same: “Quad bc of the space.” Mary Kathryn said, “The Quad can’t be beat because of the beautiful stadium close by, Denny chimes, beautiful buildings. Lots of open space … a lot more room …it’s a no brainer. Duh.”

Gail Frazier Wilson summed it up for the rest of the college football world who may not hear it in the back: “Love both. Both have a great atmosphere. Quad is Grove on steroids!”

Vote in the poll below. (Story continues)

We heard from others, one vote here and another there (and keep in mind, these are Bama fans).

Vic Dunston put it bluntly: “The Quad. Duh.”

Alex Mann said, “Seen both and the Quad wins.”

Robin Williamson went diplomatic: “Both are Excellent and Fun.”

William Cole: Went to Alabama … Worked at Ole Miss … Unbiased opinion … The Quad!! Roll Tide!!!”

6pintsofkramer said, “The Grove. They stay out there even when the game is going on.”

Instagram user texas2step78 said, “The Quad because it’s where winners come too and it’s more handicap accessible.”

“I mean The Grove wins like every year,” the_anti_luck wrote, while chiefangel26 kept it real: “The Grove is overrated af.”

Tailgating is not an exact science. Some read music, while others feel it. Alabama never claimed to win every party. Their fans will insist the actual games and championships matter more than the chicken fingers they’re digesting as they wave their shakers.

So it would surprise no one if Bama conceded the tailgate title to those who make The Grove so special in Oxford. In a perfect world, and it certainly feels perfect on Saturdays in the fall, everyone is welcome. Break bread, high-five, tailgate your hearts out. Until kickoff.

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