On any given home football game Saturday, State College becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania.

What do all these extra people in town do before the big game?

They tailgate.

"This is like a religion," said Penn State tailgater Rich Puleo.

While most students are asleep at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, Puleo, a Penn State graduate, has already parked his customized Penn State RV on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive.

Puleo drives up from Lancaster for every game, a three-hour drive.

In his RV, Puleo brings not only his food, but also his entire family of Penn State alumni and soon-to-be Penn State students.

Lorraine Puleo prepares the food for the day, a different theme for each game. This game's was a birthday theme.

The menu always consists of Wegman's subs.

"There's people that live at this tailgate. They are nuts," Lorraine Puleo said.

"Living" at the tailgate at this prime location does have its costs.

Rich Puleo donates $5,000 a year for his spot.

"It's a little steep but it's worth it," he said.

Across the street in the Shields Building parking lot was another veteran tailgater, Dan Gratz.

He has been making the drive from Fort Wayne, Ind., for two years.

"We bring enough beer not to run out and plenty of food," Gratz said.

Gratz's tailgate equipment includes a monstrous, fully contained motor home, with every amenity imaginable from a full shower to a complete washer and dryer -- and don't forget the big TV built into the RV's side.

"I've got a satellite, but there's a tree in the way," Gratz said.

On the family's menu were steaks, chicken and hamburgers.

"We are partying like rock stars," Gratz said.

However, with 30 years of tailgating experience, the Ford family of State College seems like royalty on game days.

The standard tailgating RV is present, as are the Wegman's subs and beer, the snacks, orange juice and vegetables.

The point of interest of the family's RV is a banner covered with game buttons from the last 30 years.

"Two of my sons wrote The Penn State Football Button Book," said Matthew Ford, the family patriarch.

But alumni aren't the only ones having all of the fun.

There are also many current students tailgating on the grass lots off of Park Avenue.

One group of student tailgaters was drawing a lot of attention to themselves. Penn State student Andrew Woodruf (sophomore-accounting and finance) brought his twin brother Nicholas Woodruf and his friends to the tailgate before the game.

Nick Woodruf and his friends are all students at Purdue University and proudly had their school's name painted on their chests.

However, Nick and his friends were not exactly well received byPenn State fans.

"We've had bottles thrown at us," Nick Woodruf said. Although they were rivals on Saturday, they were still having a good time together.

"It's all about brotherly love," Gratz said.

A home game in State College is more than just an average football game.

Tailgating is a tradition that is a critical aspect of one's game-day experience that Penn State students and alumni alike treasure.