College football kicks off this weekend, and at Southern Methodist University, fans are ready to pony up. About 30,000 people are expected to tailgate on the SMU campus on Saturday.

The anticipation of a new season and the excitement of tailgating—better known as "Boulevarding" at SMU—fills the street from Dallas Hall to Mockingbird Lane for the 25th year.

Mustangs enter season with momentum

The Mustangs start the 2025 season with a Top 20 preseason ranking and fans who are hopeful they go all the way this year.

Alumni Will Howard formed the mega fan group Ponygate in 2000. Twenty-five years later, they sell all kinds of merchandise, including hats and belts in different colors.

Ponygate builds spirit and visibility

"We're just really excited because we've seen all the members of it for 25 years. We've seen us go from the very, very bottom to the very top. It builds a lot of school spirit, but even more than that, football does something that kind of it transcends more than just sports," Howard said. "Based on our season last year, we had a 55% enrollment increase and application increase for the school."

About 400 people with Ponygate are tailgating with tents, a band, wait staff, and a trailer custom made with TVs, a bar, and two grills.

Winning season boosts SMU's brand

"Dallas and SMU are interconnected, and now we're winning. Now we're a powerful brand. We went to the College Football Playoff last year," Howard said. "If you're a fan of Dallas, you need to be a fan of SMU and come to Ponygate. Come experience this because this is it's just getting started."

Ponygate is on campus for all SMU home games. Anyone can stop by and take part in the fun.