What is it about football that captivates fans all across the country?

Every fall, when the leaves turn orange and a chill is felt in the air, thousands of students migrate to their college stadium to support their team. Fans noisily celebrate resounding victories over conference rivals, and hang their heads in disappointment after crushing defeats.

Even though Moscow is a small town consisting of just over 24,000 residents, the University of Idaho boasts one of the finest indoor football facilities in the Northwest. This allows fans to comfortably attend home games despite the frigid October and November weather.

While victory for the Vandals may only come once a year (like Christmas), students shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the joy of college football during their four years on campus. I recently sat down with several students at the University of Idaho, in order to discover what aspects make Vandal football an enjoyable experience.

So without further delay, here are five ways to enhance your Vandal game day experience.

1) Tailgating

While this seems like a no-brainer to most readers, a large majority of students have not actually participated in tailgating while attending the University of Idaho.

The concept is simple enough. Students gather together and host a makeshift barbecue, cooking hot dogs and burgers before making their way to the game for kickoff.

As an off-campus student, all that is needed is a small grill and the tailgate of a pick up truck. When you reach the stadium parking lot several hours before the game, you host a cookout in the bed of the truck. Some of the standard tailgating dishes include festive nachos, hearty chili and spicy buffalo wings.

For students living in the dorms, tailgating is a trickier expedition. However, most dorm halls offer a kitchen or grill in which students can cook and congregate before the games.

2) The Idaho Fan Zone

This summer, the University of Idaho finished construction of a 16,000 square foot facility adjacent to the Kibbie Dome, dubbed the “Idaho Fan Zone.” On weekend home games, the Fan Zone opens three hours before kickoff, offering a wide range of pre-game activities that include music, food and lots of football.

Periodically, a live band will perform for fans, and guests have the opportunity to browse new Vandal apparel and purchase drinks all the way up until kickoff.

Did I mention that it’s free? And speaking of drinks….

3) Drinking

Throughout the history of college football, alcohol has long been used as a means to relish a thrilling victory or nurse a broken heart from a crushing defeat. While the Vandals have not produced many victories that have warranted campus-wide parties, a number of students will still partake in the weekly practice of “pre-gaming” before heading to the Kibbie Dome.

Whether it’s beer pong at the apartment, or taking shots of whisky from a flask on your walk to the stadium, drinking before the game somehow seems to add enjoyment to the usual blowouts that students expect at the University of Idaho. In addition, it adds to the rowdiness of the crowd, resulting in excessive crowd noise during the occasional close game that could confuse opposing teams during key drives.

4) Showing Vandal Spirit

Everyone has seen an overly obsessed fan while watching a game on television, his belly painted in team colors, wearing a goofy foam hat emblazoned with the mascot. While this is an extreme example of school spirit, you cannot truly say that you had the full collegiate experience unless you show up to a home game decked out in Vandal apparel.

Appropriate Vandal apparel includes jerseys, face paint, and shirts that creatively smack talk the opposing team or boast the Vandal logo. In addition, many fans can be seen sporting Viking helmets or wielding plastic battle-axes, shouting along as the marching band plays the school fight song during halftime.

Another way to represent your Vandal pride is to join the students who cram into the first few rows of the bleachers in order to get the best view of the game. These students are usually composed of fraternities, sororities and other campus groups, and are usually the rowdiest and most passionate fans at the football games.

5) Take a Selfie with Joe Vandal

If there’s one person who represents the spirit of the University of Idaho, that person is Joe Vandal. The mysterious individual who dons the mascot suit for home games does so with excessive gusto and spunk. You can often find the mascot dancing with fans, joining along with cheerleaders in their routine and taunting the opposition.

In recent years, it has been a tradition for students to find Joe Vandal and take a selfie with him, posting the photo to their Instagram or Twitter. If you happen to stumble across the university mascot at the game, don’t forget to take a snapshot to keep as a memory of your days at the University of Idaho.