Happy Sunday. Football season has a new home base, and it's the couch. This week we're ladling out a game-day plan built around homegating (and four football collabs worth the jersey money), Scorpio Season style, a first-hand sleep strip test, and an espresso martini that comes with a cigarette.

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The Skinny: Some say the biggest tailgate trend of 2026 is skipping the parking lot and "homegating" it instead. According to a 5,000-person Talker Research survey this summer, 39% of fans said they prefer the couch version to the stadium lot, with comfort the top reason at 62%. The survey also found 61% think the pregame party beats the game itself, which explains why the average homegate runs about 6 hours, starts 2.4 hours before kickoff, and 68% say they keep on going after the final whistle.

The cost of an IRL fan: an NFL game day for a family of 4 ran about $1,340 in 2025 on the Fan Cost Index, and over $2,000 for an Eagles game, per this homegating report.

What's cooking at home: 64% of fans say they prioritize protein more than they did 3 years ago, and some ways to bring your protein to the game include BBQ bowls over tots or mac, and the "walking BBQ" (grilled meat and cheese served in an individual chip bag). Hormel's retail executive chef Amy Forbis says the move is make-ahead, refillable food that survives a 6-hour day, per her 2026 tips. Translation: the chili. Jill's cook-off contender from last week, the Sugar Spun Run chili, is make-ahead, refillable, and high-protein. Don't forget the secret ingredient, the beer.

What Jill's bringing: Asiago dip from the Walnut Brewery in Boulder. Yep, a baked bowl of mayo, sour cream and Asiago that looks like nothing and gets scraped clean before the burgers come off the grill (she has walked into the kitchen and caught people doing it). Sun-dried tomato, green onion, mushroom, 15 minutes at 350°F, per the copycat recipe. The easiest thing you'll make all season, and a case for the sum being greater than the parts. Serve with beer bread. (For someone who doesn't even like beer, Jill talks about it a lot.)

For the ambitious: the Bacon Explosion. That's two pounds of bacon woven around two pounds of sausage, invented by 2 Kansas City pitmasters in 2008. Jill's ex-husband made 1 for every big game. At 5,000 calories, this is more about a dare than an actual dish, but here is the original recipe.

The 2026 gear that earns its spot, per Gear Patrol's new-for-this-season list:

Tailgating royalty: Louisiana (78%), Alabama (76%) and Texas (74%) say they throw the best tailgates. Colorado and Michigan didn't make the top 10, but fine. We have many other talents, not to mention a live mascot.

Final cut: If you appreciate the beauty of the hot dog as much as we do, don't just throw them down without a thoughtful pre-slice. THIS is still the tried-and-tested, best way to slice a hot dog for the grill. Spiral cut = more crisp, more places for the toppings to nestle in.

Reply with your favorite NFL or College team and we'll keep a tally.

The Skinny: Team gear used to mean 1 polyester jersey and a foam finger. This fall, fashion showed up to the stadium, and we went through all the drops so you don't have to. Behold, our picks for the 4 that earn a spot in the closet, sorted by what kind of fan you are:

For the fan who actually watches the game

For the fan who came for the tailgate

For the chic fan who likes to accessorize

Our take: the Vomero and the Champion fleece are the keepers, and Jill's Lions set is what she'd buy again. Honorable mentions: LoveShackFancy x Fanatics (ruffle skirts for 8 schools, $55 to $295) for the fan who has never once checked the score, and the Crocs NCAA clog, $75, which is a dare, not a purchase.

Final sip: Buy the team gear you'd wear on a Tuesday. The jersey can stay in the closet with the foam finger.

The Skinny: Oral sleep strips are “the new gummies”: a melt-on-your-tongue film you take at bedtime, no water, no chewing, no chalk. And one brand in the category, Sleep or Die, promises to help you fall asleep in 10 minutes, but Jill took four of another brand Nu Strips, so you only have to take one.

Jill's field test: on the recommendation of a friend who swears by them, during a girls' trip Jill went full send and took four strips at once, because nobody told her the strip is meant to be broken apart. She woke up “feeling like a corpse,” fully clothed on top of the hotel bed and in the exact position she landed in, having not moved all night. Her friend, on the correct dose, woke up rested and smug.

Our take: the case for strips is simple. With so many supplements on the market, one less pill to choke down is a real selling point, and this one you can take lying down. Repeat after us: one strip is a good night's sleep; four strips is a crime scene. The friend was right; read the box.

How to use: One strip, broken apart if the box says so. Then, close your eyes. And if you don’t have strips, Nicole still swears by a bowl of late-night popcorn to fuel a deep slumber.

The Skinny: Welcome to Scorpio season (our last year’s write-up here, which is one of our favorites), where we celebrate the sexiest, sultriest sign. You know the type: secretive and subtly charismatic, Scorpions can show up as a femme fatale (who is also your most loyal friend), a brooding poet who smokes reds and travels with a pocket dagger, or anyone you know who isn’t shy about giving honest feedback, even if it stings.

What's in store for your sign this particular Scorpio season? Apparently the stars align for 4 signs that could have a bit of luck.

As for your Scorpio uniform: leather bomber, dangerously pointy heels and a pair of dark sunglasses; shop our fiercest picks for all 3. Accessorize with a vintage poison ring.

Hair should be sharp and edgy, with rich color shades to match (read about Scorpio hair secrets here, straight from hairstylists and colorists).

And if you're planning a Scorpio-inspired trip, think somewhere spiritual with an air of intrigue, danger and lots of alleyways. We're thinking (off-season) Venice, Marrakesh and, of course, New Orleans (Jill's guide to NOLA eating and drinking is in E62).

Final word on Scorpio style: Sunglasses indoors. Scorpio season is the one month a year nobody asks why.

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