re: August 31st LSU game

If you are staying in downtown BR you may want to consider taking the city bus to the game (assuming they are offering the service again). I think they start transporting people to the campus roughly 3 hours before kickoff. It will definitely be hot and humid, so with older parents 3 hours before kickoff would probably be more than enough time to hangout. Even if you are not staying in downtown BR, you can still drive and park downtown to catch the bus. Be warned, the BR (CATS) bus is like most government run entities in that it is not exactly a model of efficiency. Nonetheless, it saves you from having to fight the hassle of parking in ever decreasing available space. However, if you have a parking pass, driving is preferable.

Tailgates are spread out all over campus. Find a big one (or several big parties), tell them this is your first experience and I'm certain the hosts will be more than happy to provide you with all the food and drinks you want.

The only real pregame item of note (before getting into the stadium) is watching the band march down the hill into the stadium. That usually occurs about 1.5 hours before kickoff (if I recall correctly). Otherwise, I'd make sure I'm in my seats at least 30 minutes before kickoff to watch the pregame pomp and circumstance.