Fall means college football in Texas, and this year at Texas State University it means a more prestigious conference and a bigger tailgate party to go with it.
The Bobcats enter their first Pac-12 season after winning three consecutive bowl games and setting a season attendance record averaging more than 22,000 fans per home game. The move trades Sun Belt opponents such as Louisiana, Arkansas State, and South Alabama for a conference schedule featuring Boise State, Oregon State, and Washington State.
A bigger backyard in San Marcos
To celebrate the step up, Texas State is unveiling Boko’s Backyard, a new, larger game-day destination to go along with its new conference.
Boko the Bobcat greets the crowd at Texas State's scrimmage game in April. Photo courtesy of Texas State Athletics
Named for the university’s bobcat mascot, Boko’s Backyard brings a community fan zone and reservable private tailgates together on the campus recreation grass fields across from UFCU Stadium.
Boko’s Backyard will open six hours before kickoff for most games. Six of the seven home games are scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm or later, turning the new space into an all-day tailgate. The area will offer food trucks, drinks for purchase, live entertainment, special guests, game-day shows, the football team’s Cat Walk, children’s activities, and picnic tables.
A crowd of 28,243 watches Texas State face Rice in the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.Photo courtesy of Texas State Athletics
Fans can reserve space for their own equipment or order a turnkey tent from Hill Country Event Rentals. Texas State Hospitality and Aramark also offer food, beer, and wine packages, along with TABC-certified beverage attendants. Reservations close Thursday of each game week, and equipment may be set up the day before the game.
The September 12 opener against I-35 rival UTSA, when Boko’s Backyard will make its debut, could be the season’s biggest draw. The rivals’ last meeting in San Marcos sold out UFCU Stadium with 28,000 fans in 2024.
Other major home games include Texas State’s first Pac-12 home matchup against Colorado State on October 15 and Homecoming against Utah State on October 24.
The Texas State Alumni Association will host tents in Boko’s Backyard and take the party on the road. Away-game tailgates are not new, but the Pac-12 gives the tradition a new western footprint.
The most ambitious trip is a three-day Oregon State weekend, beginning with a Thursday meetup in Portland. Alumni will gather again Friday in Corvallis before a pregame party Saturday. The association is also planning events around games at San Diego State and Colorado State.
Taking the party up I-35
Before Boko’s Backyard opens in San Marcos, the Bobcats are taking the party up I-35 to Austin this weekend.
The Bobcats will face the Longhorns for the first time since 1930, when Texas won 36-0. The game begins at 2:30 pm Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas State’s pregame gathering will run from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm at Scholz Garten (1607 San Jacinto Blvd.). The Alumni Association also lists watch parties at Dave & Buster’s in South Austin and Smithville Brewing Company.
What the Longhorns have planned
UT also has seven home games on its fall schedule. The marquee matchup is the September 12 game against Ohio State, with a prime-time ABC broadcast and ESPN’s College GameDay coming to campus. Home games against Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas will carry the tailgating season into November.
While Bobcat fans gather at Scholz Garten, Longhorn fans have their own menu of pregame options around the stadium. They include free university attractions, a members-only alumni tailgate, a full-service reserved setup, and a smaller public party.
Fans at the University of Texas Exes tailgate party before the UT-LSU game in 2019.Photo courtesy of Texas Exes
New this season, Texas Athletics offers three Fan Journey itineraries for game-day events: Families, Explorers, and Essentials. Families is geared toward children and parents, while Explorers emphasizes food, drinks, music, shopping, and photo opportunities. Essentials curates the major UT traditions for first-time visitors and longtime fans.
For Saturday’s opener, the Families itinerary begins with Hook ’Em Herd wristband pickup, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods, at 10 am. It continues with games and rides at Smokey’s Midway, presented by Conecuh Sausage, a Big Bertha photo stop, and the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance-sponsored Bevo Parade at 11:30 am. The Longhorn Band begins its stadium march at 1:30 pm.
Drivers need a game-day permit to park in UT lots, which open at 7 am, or they can use available public parking off campus. Parking is not available on San Jacinto Boulevard, but UT provides a drop-off area at MLK and San Jacinto. Details and maps are available in the university’s football fan guide.
The season’s first Longhorn City Limits concert, presented by Hollister, will feature the Graham St. Clair Band at 11 am and headliner Eli Young Band at about 12:30 pm on the LBJ Lawn. The lawn opens at 10 am, and admission is free. Pinkerton’s Barbecue, cocktails, and specially priced pregame beers will be available for purchase.
Fans who want to host their own tailgate without handling the tent, tables, setup, or cleanup can book Revelxp, the official tailgate provider for Texas Athletics. Its full-service setups are on the LBJ Library Lawn, a short walk from the stadium and UT’s public pregame attractions. Catering, beverage, and television packages are also available.
The Texas Exes Alumni Center tailgate returns three hours before every home kickoff. The association says the gathering averages more than 10,000 people, with food and drinks sold on site. Admission is limited to Texas Exes members, Life Members, and student members.
Texas Exes greet each other outside the Alumni Center before the UT-LSU game in 2019Photo courtesy of Texas Exes
For a smaller public option, the ninth-year Longhorn Lounge tailgate returns to the parking lot at 203 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., just west of the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Organizer Kyle Gruber said by email that sponsors provide local spirits, spiked seltzers, beer, and food, with music and the game televised with sound.
It opens at 10:30 am Saturday. No ticket is required, although organizers suggest a $15 cash or Venmo donation.
