Are You Ready for Some (College) Football?

It’s 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning in October, and while the floors have yet to become sticky, and the air is still relatively fresh, the beer is already flowing at PB Bar and Grill in Pacific Beach.

And that’s not because the Garnet Avenue establishment is trying to cater to people in search of the hair of the dog. No, it’s a different breed that frequents the bar on Saturday mornings in the fall. This group wants to watch football— college football.

According to a 2010 Marist Poll, 54 percent of Americans identify themselves as being fans of college football. That’s not as high as the 68 percent who say they follow the NFL, but high enough to create competition between local bars, each one hoping to claim a large chunk of the college fanatic pie.

If you, as the Beach Boys once crooned, want to Be True to Your School there are plenty of college game day viewing options in San Diego County.

Here are a few that are located in (or near) La Jolla:

• : 7536 Fay Avenue, La Jolla. Opens for business at 9 a.m. on game day Saturdays. Drink specials: $10 on select pitchers, $4 Bloody Mary’s and $4 Mimosas. Also offers breakfast and lunch specials.  Brewhouse is home to alumni from the University Miami, UCLA and San Diego State University. They have brand new HD receivers; two big screen projectors and 20 TVs. The games they show are part of ESPN’s GamePlan Package.

• Moondoggies: 832 Garnet Avenue, San Diego. Opens for business at 9 a.m. on game day Saturdays. Will open a little earlier if games start earlier. Drink specials: $4 flavored vodkas (all day), $8 pitchers of Bud or Bud Light and $2.50 “well drinks” during happy hour. Moondoggies serves breakfast until 2 p.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m. offers discounted appetizers. The bar is home to alumni from Ohio State University and (unofficially) the University of Maryland. Moondoggies has 25 TVs and two big screen projectors. The games they show are part of ESPN’s GamePlan Package.

• Pacific Beach Bar and Grill: 860 Garnet Avenue, San Diego. Opens for business at 9 a.m. on game day Saturdays. Drink specials: “Bottomless” $10 Mimosas & Bloody Mary’s from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and $3 and $4 drafts throughout the day. PB Bar and Grill serves a Breakfast Buffet from 9 a.m. until noon for those who want to watch the early games. The bar is home to alumni groups from: the University of Michigan, the University of Tennessee, the University of Washington, the University of Georgia and Kansas State University. PB Bar and Grill has 100 flat screen TVs and shows games that are part of ESPN’s GamePlan Package.
• Players Sports Bar: 7601 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, San Diego. Players opens at 8:30 a.m. on game day and depending on the size of the crowd, will offer either an all you can eat breakfast or lunch buffet for $11.95. They do not offer drink specials. Players is home to alumni groups from: the University of Florida, Cal, the University of Illinois, Iowa State University, UNC, Syracuse University, the University of Missouri, Georgia Tech, and Fresno State. The bar has 42 TVs, eight of which are big screen projectors and shows games that are part of ESPN’s GamePlan Package.

• And for those who can’t make it to the Q, but still want to root for the home team, Effin’s Pub and Grill: 6164 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego bills itself as “San Diego State’s #1 sports bar.” Effin’s will open as early as 8 a.m. for morning games. Drink specials: $9 pitchers of Bud and Bud Light and discounted pints of beer. Effin’s serves a special brunch menu on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. and offers appetizers at half price. Effin’s welcomes fans of all teams, but is primarily home to those who follow San Diego State University. The bar has 10 large plasma TVs and shows games that are part of ESPN’s GamePlan Package.