17 weeks of regular season and three weeks of playoff football have led us to this moment. Feb. 3 is upon us and Super Bowl LIII is promising us an enticing matchup between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams.

I say, let’s not wallow in the despair that is a football-less existence. Let us go out with a celebration mightier than a Rob Gronkowski spike.

Here are some ideas for a Super Bowl party that will make you look like more of a football genius than someone who has interacted with Sean McVay:

1. Wings

Let’s just get this one out of the way. It’s an absolute must for any football gathering. This finger-food screams football and you’ll look like a dope if you don’t have these. Just order them right now! Every wing place will be packed with orders and you could miss the game waiting in line if you are not prepared.

2. Take care of the small stuff first

It’d be awfully embarrassing if the day of the game came and your TV didn’t show it. Or you didn’t have enough seats to accommodate guests. Make sure you are ready to have guests over on the morning of the game and always have a backup plan in case your cable goes out. Have a livestream ready to go or have rabbit ear antennas if they still make those.

3. Dress up for the occasion

Chances are your team didn’t make the Super Bowl, the odds are 2/32 after all – 2/31 when you automatically take-out the Cleveland Browns to start the year. Thankfully, the Super Bowl is more about the celebration of football as an American pastime. So have your guests dress up in their team’s gear – we’re in college, where we have people from all across the country who grew-up rooting for a different team. It will be cool to see many different jerseys in your living room.

4. Make sure you have at least one Patriots and Rams fan there

There will be nothing more satisfying than watching your buddies who have something emotionally riding on the outcome of this game present. If it is a close contest, which I believe it will be, you will see your friends experience joy, anger, pain, loss, triumph, soul-crushing anguish and that could just be in the first quarter. You’ll be guaranteed three hours of quality entertainment.

5. Invite your friends who aren’t into football

Sports, at their finest, create an environment where people can bond over a common love of a game. You can get the chance to show your friends what the big deal is by showing them the biggest game of the year. With laughs, food and a casual football environment, you can ease friends into the world of football with a showcase meant for anyone. I personally fell in love with football at a Super Bowl party. I can attest that a room full of people can make getting into football easier.

6. Food

I touched on this a bit with wings. But that deserved a spot of its own. My advice is to just keep it simple. A couple bags of tortilla chips and salsa, regular chips, some patties for burgers and you’ll be on your way. Pizza and nachos are also good foods to have. You should provide water and an arrangement of sodas as well. If you want variety ask your guest to bring something – that way everyone is happy and your wallet isn’t hurting from all the food costs.

7. People love the commercials, take advantage of it

A huge reason 103.4 million people watched the Super Bowl last year was because of the commercials. You should take that into account when planning your party. Have people try to guess what company will have a commercial this year, or which company’s commercial will come next, or vote on your favorite commercial of the night. Give out prizes and get people invested in the whole afternoon.

8. The halftime show isn’t going away, so just embrace it

It’s long been a complaint of football fans that the Super Bowl halftime show sucks. Maroon 5 is performing it this year and if they don’t scream non-stop action and Americana, then I don’t know what does. Remember the halftime show is for everyone but the football fan, so let it go and look for a memeable moment. We have gotten all-time American TV moments such as Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction and ‘Left Shark.’ With so many eyeballs on a screen at one time, there is bound to be something to meme.

Ricardo Tovar can be reached at [email protected] or @rtovarg13 on Twitter.