The College Tailgate Planner That Keeps Up With Kickoff
Varsity Slate is a college tailgate planner built into a college sports schedule app. Pick the game, share one private link, and collect RSVPs and a bring list in one place — then, when the kickoff time moves, your tailgate moves with it and everyone who said they're coming is told. That last part is the whole point: a group chat does not know the game moved.
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Division I programs
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Games on the 2026 slate
Live counts from the Varsity Slate database · 2026 season
One link instead of a group chat
Every tailgate has the same three problems: nobody knows the final headcount, the lot number is buried forty messages back, and two people bring ice while nobody brings chairs. A tailgate on Varsity Slate is one page that answers all three — a live RSVP count, the location in a fixed place, and a bring list people claim from.
Share it from the Game Day tab or straight from any game page. It works in iMessage, WhatsApp and GroupMe, and guests do not need to install anything.
When kickoff moves, your tailgate moves
College football kickoff times get set late and changed often — television windows land six to twelve days out, and games get flexed, postponed, and occasionally relocated. Set your tailgate to start a few hours before kickoff and the time recalculates itself whenever the game shifts, with a notification to everyone who RSVP'd. Prefer a fixed time? Keep it, and we'll tell you the kickoff moved so you can decide.
Subscribe to the tailgate in your calendar and it keeps up there too, rather than freezing at whatever time it was when you saved it.
Private by default
Tailgates are invite-link only. They are never listed, never searchable, and carry a noindex tag. Someone holding the link sees the matchup, the tailgate name, who's hosting and how many are going before they sign up — but the exact start time and the location stay behind a free account, because the address of a private gathering should not be readable by anyone who guesses a URL. If a link travels further than you meant, reset it and the old one stops working.
Tickets and parking, without a marketplace
You can tell your guests you have a spare ticket or a parking pass, and choose exactly who sees the details — the default is only the people you pick. There is no pricing field and no payment anywhere in Varsity Slate. Tickets and parking passes are arranged directly with the host; we never sell them and never handle money.
What it costs
Attending is free. Anyone can RSVP, claim what they're bringing, and get updates without paying anything. Hosting (“Host tailgates”) is included with Teammate at $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, alongside five schools and every sport — see pricing.
How do I organise a college football tailgate?
Pick the game, add where you're setting up and what time you're starting, and share the private link. Guests open it, RSVP, and claim what they're bringing. You never chase a group chat for a headcount, and nobody has to scroll back three days to find the lot number.
What happens if the kickoff time changes?
Your tailgate moves with it. If you set the start relative to kickoff — say three hours before — the time recalculates automatically and everyone who RSVP'd is notified. If you pinned a fixed start time instead, you get told the kickoff moved and decide for yourself whether to shift. This is the part a group chat cannot do: the chat does not know the game moved.
Do my guests need an account?
They need a free account to respond, which takes a moment and no card. Anyone with the link can see the game, the tailgate name, who's hosting, and how many are coming before signing up. The exact time and location stay behind the account, because a private gathering's address should not be readable by anyone who happens to guess a link.
Can I use it for a potluck or bring list?
Yes. Add what you need — ice, chairs, a tent, a grill — and guests claim items from the invite page. Several people can cover the same item, and a claim is released automatically if someone changes their RSVP to can't-go, so the list never says an item is covered when nobody is bringing it.
Can I share spare tickets or a parking pass?
You can tell people you have them, and choose exactly who sees the details — the default is only the people you pick. Varsity Slate has no pricing and no payment of any kind: tickets and parking are arranged directly with you, and the service is not a resale marketplace.
Is the tailgate page public?
No. Tailgates are invite-link only. They are not listed anywhere, not searchable, and carry a noindex tag so they stay out of search results. If a link gets somewhere you didn't intend, you can reset it and the old one stops working immediately.
What does it cost?
Attending is free — anyone can RSVP, claim items, and get updates without paying. Hosting is included with Teammate at $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, and with Head Coach.
Plan your next tailgate
Pick the game, share the link, and let the schedule keep itself straight.