As a student at Arizona State University, football games are hard to miss. Once the season starts, game days in Tempe are packed with students covered in maroon and gold, tailgates, and thousands of fans making their way to the stadium. Even if you don’t know every rule and player in the starting lineup — like I do — there’s something about the energy and excited chaos of a college game day that makes it hard to not get caught up in.
So, when it came to the first game of the season, my friends and I knew we had to make a day out of it. I’m a junior journalism and digital media student at ASU, and while I spend most of my time living and going to school in downtown Phoenix, making the trip to Tempe for an ASU football game is one of those experiences that is worth all the effort. Plus, we had somehow scored front-row seats in the student section, so there was no way I was missing out on that.
Of course, a 7 p.m. kickoff means we had plenty of time to get ready, enjoy the game-day festivities, and — most importantly — take a million pictures. So, if you were curious, here’s what my first football game of the season looked like.
1:30 p.m.: Pick Out My Game-Day Outfit
Starting off with the hardest part of game day: figuring out what to wear. I wanted something that would show my school spirit while still being cute. I went back and forth between a few options, but ultimately decided on a denim mini dress, white cowboy boots, and some ASU accessories — making the outfit festive enough for ASU football while still feeling very me.
2 p.m. Get Ready With Me
With the outfit decision out of the way, it was time to actually get ready. I did my hair and makeup, got dressed, and packed my purse with all the essentials — my wallet, fan, portable charger, and no fewer than three lip products.
4 p.m. Travel To Tempe
Once my friends and I were ready, we headed from downtown Phoenix to Tempe. We took the light rail — Phoenix’s version of a subway — and packed in with the sea of ASU fans making their way to the game-day festivities.
5 p.m. Tailgate
Before actually heading to the stadium, I took some time to enjoy the tailgate atmosphere. We had some food and drinks and hung out for a bit before heading into the real chaos.
6:15 p.m. Head To The Stadium & Find Our Seats
With kickoff less than an hour away, we decided it was time to head to the stadium. We made our way through the crowds, scanned our tickets, and then went to claim our front-row seats in the student section. Being that close to the field was definitely a nice touch to the first game of the season.
7 p.m. Kickoff
Finally, it was time for kickoff. The stadium really comes alive once the teams run onto the field, with fireworks, music, and the excited cheers of thousands of fans. Sitting so close to the field and experiencing the energy of college game day was so much fun.
8:45 p.m. Halftime & Leave Stadium
By halftime, ASU was winning 49-7, so between the blowout game and the 100-degree weather, it was time to head out. It was kind of strange seeing so many people leave at halftime, but honestly, it was understandable. And even though we were leaving the stadium, we took the energy with us.
9 p.m. Watch The Rest Of The Game
After leaving the stadium, we found a place to grab some food and drinks while keeping up with the second half. It seemed like everyone had the same idea because the restaurant was packed. It was a little different from your typical game day, but still very fun — plus, getting to sit down and enjoy the AC was much needed.
10 p.m. Final Score
With a final score of 70-7, it was safe to say ASU secured the first win of the season. And after a full day of activities, I was more than ready to call it a night.
10:30 p.m. Head Back Downtown
At this point, the excitement of game day was starting to wear off for everyone and the exhaustion was kicking in. We called an Uber and made our way back downtown, leaving Tempe and officially wrapping up our first game day of the season.
11 p.m. Put Together My Game-Day Instagram Post
But before calling it a night, I had one more thing to do: put together my game-day Instagram post. I went through all the photos my friends and I had taken and picked my favorites. After spending the whole day taking pictures, it was fun seeing everything put together.
12 a.m. Get Unready & Wind Down
To end the day, I showered and crawled into bed with aching feet, mild dehydration, and so much apprciation for the day. From getting ready and hanging out with friends to taking part in all the festivities, this Saturday was the epitome of what a college game day should be. And after such a fun first game, I can’t wait to do it all again for the rest of the season!