OK, so we’ve experienced the hype for almost as long as we can stand. The unofficial start of fall is so close we can taste it. Saturday marks the start of another Spartan football season as MSU takes on the Eastern Michigan Eagles at 3:30 p.m. on Spartan Stadium’s new natural grass field.

Shouts of “Fight! Fight! Rah! Team fight!” will again reverberate throughout East Lansing as fans prepare to catch a glimpse of MSU’s hyped passing duo of quarterback Jeff Smoker and Heisman hopeful Charles Rogers at wide receiver.

It’s safe to say just about everyone in the MSU community is eagerly awaiting Saturday’s sunrise. For many, it signifies the start of a season brimming with chances for thousands of exuberant, screaming sports fans to pack Spartan Stadium and spend a few hours in pigskin paradise.

As if that weren’t heaven already, there is a home game every Saturday in September, giving Spartan fans their fair share of opportunities to fire up their grills. MSU also has home games set for Oct. 19, Oct. 26 and Nov. 16.

Tailgates are cherished pre-football game celebrations and are as much part of the game day experience as the opening kickoff. And they should be. What other times do students and alumni get the chance to mingle, drink and eat hot dogs together while reminiscing about their favorite Spartan experiences - like the time last season when MSU topped those hated Wolverines from Ann Arbor in the game’s final second?

But as always, with the swarm of tailgaters to campus problems can arise.

Consider traffic. Expect it to get worse this season as the construction project on Saginaw Street continues to cause snarls.

Then there is trash. Tailgaters love to leave their garbage everywhere but the trash bags and barrels MSU provides - like in the portable bathrooms. It’s not uncommon to see the piles of beer cans in the toilets grow taller as game time grows nearer.

Speaking of alcohol, it’s no secret many tailgaters love it. In fact, some choose to consume so much before the game they don’t even make it into the stadium. You can see those people passed out in the bed of pickup trucks and other such places.

But these are not the images of MSU football Saturdays we should think of as we prepare for this week’s kickoff. Tailgaters need to be aware of the amount they drink and be responsible - and while they’re at it, they need to help keep campus looking clean for those staying away until Monday.