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It's opening weekend for college football, and Texan chef Tim Love wants to make sure there's plenty of pigskin to go around - in more ways than one.

Love will be tailgating on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday, but he's dropped by to offer a little pregame party strategy just in time for tomorrow's kickoff.

Hut, hut, bite!

Five Tips to Make Your Tailgate a Touchdown: Tim Love

1. Tackling the menu
“While burgers are always a crowd pleaser, a whole animal is a crowd gatherer, and is sure to draw attention in even the biggest parking lots.

If you’re a professional tailgater, you tailgate before and after the game, so you bring burgers and steaks for before kickoff. At the same time, you set up your whole animal (lamb, goat, pig) in a smoker (personally, I put it in the 'Love Box,' which is kind of a like a souped-up version of a La Caja China) so that it will be roasted by the end of the game.

Stuff the animal with chopped carrots, celery, onions and jalapeños all mixed with chili rub, and you got yourself a nice post-game treat whether your team wins or loses. This is particularly good for the guy that showed up to your tailgate with no ticket - gives him something to do while you go watch the game.

Fish and seafood are generally a bad idea at a tailgate because it’s so hard to keep it cold and fresh, particularly early in the season. One thing though - fish fries are great, especially in the middle of November.

But early on in the season, avoid the seafood because it’s one thing to get sick from drinking too much; it’s a whole other thing to get sick from spoiled seafood.”

2. Don't ignore the sidelines
“One of the best, and easiest, things you can make at a tailgate is a spicy pinto bean stew. You can actually make it all ahead of time and then just heat it up on the grill (and yes, it’s OK to use one of those foil trays to do it). It goes great with just about everything, and everyone loves it.”

3. Pep up your prep
“Prep as much as you can before the tailgate. Once you get to the parking lot, the only thing you should have to do is get the fire going and put the meat on the grill.

Also, make sure you don’t plan on just serving off of your tailgate or out of your trunk. The secret to a good tailgate (other than great food) is great hospitality. A few folding tables and chairs makes a big difference.”

4. Make sure you have plenty of booze that you like, and someone you like even more to drive you home
“There’s nothing worse than being that guy. You know, the guy who stumbles into other people’s tailgates and picks fights with opposing fans and ends up on the front page of the newspaper. Don’t be that guy.

That said, always make sure you have enough ice, and don’t forget the bottle opener.”

5. Score at storage
“Treat your tailgate like your kitchen. Always clean up your area before the game, so when you come back out, you don’t have stuff strewn all over the place because you were too lazy to take care of it earlier.

As far as storage is concerned, get yourself a Yeti cooler – it keeps things colder than the North Pole.”

Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.

See all our best grilling advice at Grilling 101