Hoboken is known for many things…Frank Sinatra, the birthplace of baseball, excessive drinking... And while the number of bars Hoboken has managed to pack into one square mile is impressive, it's a little lacking in the sports bar realm. As such, many Hobokenites don their school colors and cross the river come game day.

Whether you're a Hokie, a Buckeye, a Trojan or a Fightin' Irish, New York City seems to have a sports bar for everyone.

One of the most popular spots in the city is Park Avenue Country Club (PACC). Located at 381 Park Ave South, on the southeast corner of 27th St., this fan fave doesn’t look like your typical sports bar. Sure, it has the required sports memorabilia, but also it provides a beautiful atmosphere and ambiance for your college viewing pleasure. With two satellite dishes, 16 giant screen TVs, 50 additional TVs and surround sound, it’s no wonder that it’s home to many college alumni groups and sports fans in general.

The University of Southern California (USC) is one such group that calls it home. If you go, you’ll find many Trojans with crossed fingers for a national championship three-peat. Reservations are required by calling (212) 685-3636. The defending National Champions recommend that you call early in the week to reserve spots. When making reservations, be sure to mention that you want to watch in the USC section.

If you plan on going for a big game (i.e. Notre Dame, UCLA, a bowl game), make your reservations early. This popular watering hole has been known to fill up with more than 300 Trojans chanting SoCal. For more information on the alumni group, visit: http://www.nytrojans.org/ .

The University of Michigan also calls the PACC home. As with USC, Michigan recommends making reservations and making them early (i.e. if you want to watch the best rivalry in college football, Michigan vs. OSU, don’t wait till the last minute.)

For more on PACC, visit: http://parkavenuecountryclub.com/page/nzed/Home_Page.html

Another popular locale for sports in the city is Blondie's. There are two locations: Blondie's West at 212 W. 79th St and Blondie's East at 1770 Second Avenue (between 92^nd & 93^rd St.). Both are well known for their college football and wings.

Blondie's West has been a home away from home for many Big Ten fans over the years. On college football Saturdays, you will find it packed with an assortment of college sweatshirts, often prompting some heated conversations. Currently, it’s the home for Michigan State, Northwestern, Iowa and UCLA alumni groups. Members of those groups get $2 off pitchers.

The bar has 42 TVs, including two big screens. They also broadcast with sound during games. The alumni group games get first dips on sound. There are various rooms, so the sound can be broadcast for numerous games. While reservations aren’t required, they are highly recommended, especially if you want a table. To make a reservation, call (212) 362-4360. The earlier you call the better, as it’s usually a full house.

While relatively new, Blondie’s East has also become a college football mainstay. It is home to Ohio State, Tennessee, LSU and Texas alumni groups. People with alumni group membership cards receive various discounts during the games.

Ohio State used to call the Westside home, but they are now singing, "Hang on Sloopy" on the Eastside. As college fans know, Buckeyes travel well; the city is no exception. Having grown too big for their former home, they switched to the East, as it guarantees seating for more than 200, which is not a challenge for this spirited group. 

OSU alumni group members receive a 10% discount on food and drinks. Membership costs $25 and non-alumni are welcome to join. If you plan to watch a couple of games, the membership is worth it. Reservations are strongly encouraged and with the high rankings and expectations for this Big 10 frontrunner, you might consider calling today for seats to the Michigan game. Don’t worry too much if you get to the bar and there’s no room. The Bucks reserve room for walk-ins and have overflow seating available next door at the Big Easy. For more information about the alumni group or to join, visit: http://www.osunyc-alumni.org/.

The bar has 56 TVs, including three big screens and broadcasts in sound. Again, there are separate rooms so each alumni group is able to watch their game in sound. Make reservations by calling (212) 410-3300. You can visit Blondie’s site at: http://blondiessports.com/page/o1mx/Home_Page.html

Virginia Tech alumni will be watching the second coming of the second coming of Vick (barring any more "incidents" of course) at Newgate Bar & Grill, located at 535 LaGuardia Place (cross street Bleaker St.).

During the defending ACC champs’ games, there is a $30 all you can drink and eat special that includes Bud, Bud Light, and Coors drafts, Absolut products, rail drinks and all you can eat wings and sliders. The special runs from a half hour before kickoff until the end of the game. In addition, there are $3 14 oz. drafts of Bud, Bud Light and Coors Light and half-price wings and sliders.

This Greenwich Village favorite has four large plasma TVs. Beamer Ball fans will be happy to know that all games will have sound, something that tends to be lacking in our Hoboken sports bars. As an added bonus, all waiters and waitresses will be donning VT Jerseys and the bar will have VT flags waiving. There will also be Tech merchandise giveaways during the games. For reservations, call (212) 358-7995. For more about Newgate, visit: http://www.newgatebarandgrill.com/ . Information about the Hokies NYC Alumni group can be found at: http://www.manhattanhokies.com/ .

ACC rival, the University of Miami, has their alumni going to the Black Finn, located at East 53^rd St. between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenue. During Miami games, they offer 10% off food, $4 beer and wine, $5 mixed drinks, $10 pitchers and $3 Bud products. The Canes also enjoy a $25 special that includes unlimited Budweiser products and chicken wings. After faltering in their inauguaral ACC year and in their first game of the season, it will be interesting to watch how the Canes respond. Fans are encouraged to make reservations by e-mailing Andrew Potter at andrewfpotter@yahoo.com. Make sure to include the game and the number of people in your party.

For other college football games, Black Finn offers $4 beers and $5 mixed drinks. They also offer 10% off food. They have 12 televisions, which are a mixture of big screen and plasma TVs. Reservations are not required, but they are recommended; call (212) 355-6607. For more information, visit: http://www.blackfinnnyc.com/home.cfm.

Hoping to regain its national prominence, The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame have taken up stakes at McFadden's Saloon, located at 800 2^nd Avenue on the corner of 42^nd St. They have arranged to have drink specials and raffle off Notre Dame prizes during their games. For more on the Fighting Irish of NYC, visit: http://www.ndnyc.org/weblog.php.

The bar has 13 TVs. There will be various drink specials for college football games, but they have yet to be set. Again, reservations are recommended. To make them, call (212) 986-1515. For more information, visit: http://www.mcfaddens42.com/homepage.php

U2 fans will have no problem remembering the name of this sports spot, The Joshua Tree. While there are two locations in the city, both great for sports viewing, it is the Joshua Tree at 3rd Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets to which Penn State alumni flock. Nittany Lions fans will be gathering there this year in hopes of seeing Joe Pa turn things around. During Penn State games, the bar offers an appetizer combination plate for $10. For more information about city Nittany Lions, go to www.psunyc.org .

Joshua Tree has 11 TVs, six big screens and five plasmas. They offer $3 drafts and bottles Budweiser and Bud Light during college football games. They also offer various food specials. Reservations are not required, but they are highly suggested if you want table seating. To make reservations, call (212) 689-0058.

If you don’t want to cross the river come game day, you can find some fellow football fans in town. The best deal can be found at Rogo’s, located at 734 Willow. On college football Saturdays, they offer a price that's hard to beat. From the hours of 1 pm to 6 pm, you get Coors Light and Bud drafts and all the wings you can eat for $25.

With such a great deal, it's not surprising to see people make a day of it on 8th and Willow. After five hours of cheap beer and great college football, many stick around to watch the evening games as well. Even after the specials end, this dive favorite remains a cheap and fun place to hang.

Don’t be surprised to meet some city folk there. Hobokenites in the know have convinced many a Manhattan dweller to make the trip for cheap food and drinks. Plus, at Rogo’s you can puff away on your cigarette, while you wait out the last seconds of the clock. However, while smokers get the bonus of not having to go outside, they will be trading in the ability to hear the game. Don’t expect the sound too much at this or any Hoboken sports bar.

Another popular spot for college football in Hoboken is Liberty. Located at 61 14^th St., Liberty tends to draw a decent crowd for college games. Their 18 TVs, including three big screen TVs, three medium projection screens and two plasma TVs doesn’t hurt.

For college football games, they offer a wing and pitcher special. For $15, you can get 20 wings and a pitcher of domestic beer. Again, sound is uncommon. It usually only gets turned on during Giants and Jets games, but every now and again you get lucky.

The college football season has the makings of an exciting year. Regardless of your affiliation, make sure you visit some of these spots to catch the action. Hell even if you’re not a college football fan, which is just wrong by the way, remember this…summer is over. You can no longer justify drinking at noon on a Saturday because you’re at the beach and well that’s just what people do at the beach. Take heart; thanks to college football, you can continue justifying your Saturday afternoon binges well into December.

When not busy awaiting Frank Beamer’s call offering her a spot on his coaching staff, Jennifer Conlan contributes regularly to realhoboken.com. You can e-mail her at jenconlan@yahoo.com or post comments in the message forum.