Leave your pom-poms and growl towels at home. Your jerseys can stay folded for a couple more months. And you don't need to worry about perfecting your "Zombie Nation" bounce until August.

Instead, make sure you've applied plenty of sun block. Your burger-flipping technique should be in rare form. And for the ladies, short shorts and tube tops aren't required -- but strongly encouraged.

Blue-White weekend is a great time to forget about classes for awhile and enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. What it isn't, is a time for world-class football.

The play-calling will be, for the most part, reserved. While you may see a reverse pass or statue of liberty here or there, the coaching staff won't reveal its secrets in a game that doesn't count.

And don't expect much star power. You'll be lucky if you see most of the key starters, (i.e. Maurice Evans, Evan Royster, Derrick Williams, etc.) for more than a quarter -- especially considering the recent injury to Sean Lee.

The game will pretty much be a lot of second- and third-teamers enjoying their first time playing in front of more than 70,000 fans while trying to make an impression on their coaches.

"Especially when I got older, it really is practice," said former Nittany Lion quarterback Michael Robinson. "Except you've got the coaches on the field and 90,000 people looking at you.

"The players can interact a little bit more because it's not a real game. Guys go out there and try to show off a little bit, especially for the fans."

And that's what the Blue-White game is all about -- the fans. The results don't matter, it's a time for fun for everybody.

When else can you say you dropped a former All-American in a dunk tank? Little kids wearing their favorite blue-and-white jerseys have a chance to high-five their larger-than-life heroes. And if you can't make it to the game, or just want some added insight, check out the radio broadcast.

Almost everyone in the stadium wonders what JoePa is thinking as he paces the sidelines and screams at refs during the fall. Well, the iconic coach provides color commentary for the Penn State Radio Network, and from personal experience, it's a pretty hilarious listen.

For the football program, this weekend is also a chance to showcase itself to recruits. Three Class of 2009 recruits have confirmed they will be at the game, with several more expected to attend. While it may not be a true gameday experience, Blue-White is enough to convince some recruits to fall in love with Happy Valley.

"The first time I'd ever seen Penn State in person was the spring game of '01," said former Lion defensive end Matt Rice. "That same day is when I made my decision to come to Penn State."

But football should be the least of your worries tomorrow. If the offense doesn't pick up a first down with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, who cares? It's not like the BCS is going to punish the Blue team because it didn't cover the spread (which for purposes of this column is Blue +8.5).

Now I'm not saying don't go to the game. Go, it's a great experience that every student should cherish, because who knows if our future job obligations will allow us to ever come back for Blue-White?

But don't take tomorrow too seriously. Save the drunken heckles and profanities for the fall. It's 132 days until the season opener, when real football begins against Coastal Carolina.

Well maybe not real football, the Chanticleers probably wouldn't even deserve to be on the field tomorrow, but at least it will count for something.

Enjoy yourselves tomorrow and enjoy the day, it's one of the best parts of being a student in the spring in State College.

Just don't expect to see any earth-shattering performances on the field. 'Cause after all, we talkin' 'bout practice.

Andrew Wible is a junior majoring in journalism and a Collegian football writer. His e-mail address is ajw5050@psu.edu.