(Sidney Hollingsworth/The Daily Campus)

After a weekend in Waco, Texas experiencing the unfamiliar “tailgating” and a tough loss, Mustangs fans are excited to kick off the season Boulevarding on their home turf.

“I have been looking forward to Boulevarding since the first day of school,” junior Liz Blumberg said.

Boulevarding has been part of SMU’s tradition since 2000, when the Gerald J. Ford Stadium opened for the Mustangs’ first home game against the University of Kansas.

According to SMU President R. Gerald Turner, the idea for the Boulevard came from “The Grove” at the University of Mississippi, where he served as chancellor until 1995.

“[Boulevard] origins really are from Ole Miss, but that’s fine. All of the unique aspects of it have truly made it SMU’s,” President Turner said in an SMU athletics video.

Preparations for the Boulevard usually begin at the beginning of the week, guaranteeing perfection for a Saturday game.

And once those first tents go up around campus, so does students anticipation.

“I’m so excited for the first home game,” junior Amie Hazama said. “Boulevards are always my favorite events of the fall.”

SMU’s Boulevard was recently chosen by Southern Living as one of the South’s top 20 tailgates and this was before adding its newest attraction, “The Corral.”

The Corral is an air-conditioned tent at the north end of Bishop Boulevard, featuring ten 52-inch high-definition TVs, food and drinks.

A ticket into the game is a ticket into The Corral.

The Corral will open at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, and close at 6:30 p.m., just in time for fans to make the march to Ford Stadium for the Mustangs’ 7 p.m. game against 1-0 Stephen F. Austin.

Southern Living categorized SMU as a “Style Setter” tailgate, falling under the category that, “from sundresses to cake stands,… showcase[s] true splendor on the grass,” according to the magazine.

Compared to other universities where school spirit t-shirts and blue jeans are the norm, at SMU sundresses and sports coats are Boulevarding staples.

“I love how everyone looks so classy at games, so I make sure to look [for an outfit] at Nordstrom first” freshman Jamie O’Donnell, said.

Shopping for Boulevarding dresses does not just start at the beginning of school, it is in the minds of SMU female students from the end of one season to the beginning of the next.

For some, finding the perfect dress for Boulevarding is a top priority.

“Shopping for white dresses during the summer is easier because the selection is much greater,” O’Donnell said.

What also sets SMU’s pre-game apart from others is that Boulevarding does not take place in a mundane parking lot, but along the most beautiful, eloquent section of SMU – up and down the oak-tree-lined Bishop Boulevard.

Fans spread from the beginning of the boulevard at Mockingbird Lane all the way north to Dallas Hall and Hughes Trigg.

The Boulevard attracts crowds of all ages from Boulevard babies, to alumni from years past.

“I enjoy the games more now than I did as a student,” Michelle Ray, class of 1988 and season ticket holder, said. “It makes me so proud of my alma mater and I love seeing and feeling the Mustang Spirit on game day.”

It is hard to find a typical hotdog on the Boulevard.

Rather, more complex smells of handmade burgers infused with peppers and cheese, quail legs wrapped in bacon and jalapeno bratwurst fill the air.

“We get 80 pounds of food and cook it all,” sophomore Andy Buck, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, said.

The Boulevard will be full of fans hungry for food, fun and a victory Saturday Sept. 8 as the Mustangs take on SFA in their first home game.

As the white dresses, sports coats, air-conditioned tents and endless supply of food and beverage prove – SMU does not tailgate, we Boulevard.