We left Little Rock last night after the LSU-Arkansas game and drove to Oxford, arriving at The Grove at 11:00 PM. It was a Ghost Town last night, eerily void of people put populated by blue and white tents and lawn chairs. Tailgaters had gotten there several hours earlier to claim their spots, much like at The Quad a week ago.

Here's what separated The Grove from The Quad: The scenery. First of all, it was a beautiful fall morning today. Perfect weather with just a slight chill in the air. The leaves that hadn't abandoned their trees yet had turned bright orange and casually drifted through the air and onto the ground. The sun was shining, and there was a carefree feeling on an unusually subdued Saturday.

Rebels fans have been tailgating at The Grove for more than 30 years, but things have changed over time. Long ago, fans would drive their cars and trucks to The Grove and do some drive-in tailgating. The Grove has become more and more populated and crazier throughout the years. It has become as important to Ole Miss football as the Manning family.

Thanksgiving break eliminated much of the student population, so the atmosphere today was quieter and calmer than typical gamedays. But the fans showed up early and brought food, drinks, and friends to their tents. The Grove, much like Alabama's Quad, was full of people. Yet, it did not feel crowded at all. It's a rather large area with gorgeous buildings of the Ole Miss campus surrounding it.

Dean of Students Sparky Reardon gave us the tour today. He is a popular guy. Sparky couldn't walk for five minutes without seeing someone he knew. He introduced us to his friends, who instantly became our friends. I'll say this about tailgating: A tailgate is only as good as the people that create it. It doesn't matter what food you eat or who you root for. The memories we have from touring SEC tailgates are mostly of the great and welcoming people we've met. There were so many of those people at Ole Miss today.

As we've traveled through the Southeast and told strangers in hotels and restaurants about our job, so many of those strangers have asked us, "Have you been to The Grove yet?" Everyone promised it would be something special. Everyone was right.

At 11:05 AM, the crowd lined the Walk of Champions and waited for Coach Orgeron to lead his Rebels through the fans and into the stadium. Usually, the coaches walk past the crowd with a determined look on their faces, and with little to no interaction with the screaming fan base. Orgeron went nuts in comparison to the other SEC coaches. He raised his arms up and urged the crowd to make more noise. It's all part of the experience at The Grove.

The leaves fell. The band played. The fans greeted us with exceptional hospitality. We walked for over an hour and took in all there was to see at The Grove. It's the calm before the storm. It's where all the Ole Miss fans gather to eat, socialize, and relax before becoming a 12th man as kickoff approaches. With my apologies to all other SEC tailgates that I've seen, nothing compares to The Grove.