12 of the best football party foods, ranked

Fall is definitely a sports season. Baseball season wraps up with the World Series, hockey and basketball are just getting started, and football season is in full swing. The odds are good that, at some point, you're going to either throw or at least be part of a sports party. Whether you like sports or not, you still like your friends and will probably want to join them.

What to bring to that party is, however, an important decision — especially if you don't know sports, because you want to get invited to the next one.

With this simple decision, you can either turn yourself into a party snack legend by going the extra mile or you can ensure that you'll never be invited again and irreparably damage the personal relationships you've built with people who thought you were their friend until you proved otherwise with that terrible thing you brought.

Note: This list is just for snack foods. Just because something didn't make the list doesn't mean you shouldn't bring it. Nearly any party will also accept finger-food desserts, like brownies, cupcakes, and Jell-O shots.

Who puts okra on a cheese plate?

12. Cheese Plates

How to win: A cheese plate is an easy crowd-pleaser. Add some crackers, some cold cuts, and a few grapes for effect and you're good to go. No one ever objects to a cheese plate. Be advised: Blue cheese is for wings, not cheese plates. That stuff smells like feet.

How to be a legend: Upgrade the cheeses from your standard cheddar, colby, and pepperjack. Get some real cheeses in there. We're talking brie, gruyere, and fresh mozzarella. Spring for better crackers. Ditch the cold cuts and make all those meats prosciutto.

How to lose: Fried cheese sticks. You know this game is three hours long, right? If you aren't deep-frying them at the party, there's no way to win by bringing these. Ever see fried cheese sticks after they've been sitting out for an hour? Not pretty.

French Onion dip is the easiest thing to make on this list. At least make it yourself.

11. Chips & Dip

How to win: Even if you only brought a tub of sour cream with a packet of french onion seasoning mixed in, you already won. Even if no one actually puts this on a plate, almost everyone will have at least one chip with dip. And no one will feel like they should save it when there are leftovers.

How to be a legend: Make your own layered dip that doesn't involve packets of seasoning. Pro tip: the more layers, the better. Yeah, you could make a 35-layer dip, but if you're feeling really saucy, why not make a 50-layer dip?

How to lose: Kale chips.

If they're mushy, we hate you.

10. Potato Skins

How to win: Proper potato skins have crispy shells and don't skimp on the cheese and bacon. I don't actually want big chunks of mushy potato in my mouth. That's not what I signed up for.

How to be a legend: More meat. Every time. Maybe add a little spice to kick up the bland potato parts. Buffalo chicken potato skins are always a winner. Maybe some sriracha. Maybe even twice bake them.

How to lose: Bring a bag of Friday's Potato Skins chips. C'mon, man.

It's entirely likely both of these ingredients came from a can. Amazing.

9. Pigs in a Blanket

How to win: Bring all-beef junior franks wrapped in crispy golden-brown dough. Brush on melted butter for extra effect. Even your friend who swears they don't eat processed food is going to sneak one or two.

How to be a legend: Bratwurst in pretzel dough.

How to lose: Someone once told me that anything wrapped in dough is a surefire winner, then I discovered Spanakopita. If you bring spinach wrapped in dough to my football party, I'll know we aren't friends.

Bringing sub sandwich ingredients not in sandwich form will get you ejected from the party.

8. Party Subs

How to Win: Sandwiches are the closest thing to an entree anyone should bring to a sports party. From cold cuts to po'boys, they will be the unofficial main course on everyone's plate.

How to be a legend: Tie the sub to the favorite team in the night's game. If you're watching the Steelers or Penguins, get some french fries and make a Primanti Brothers sandwich. For the Bills or Sabres, Beef on weck. Watching the Saints or Pelicans? Make a Muffuletta. You get the idea.

How to lose: Bringing Sloppy Joes or Manwiches. Those sandwiches are about as appetizing as their names make them sound.

Literally anything.

7. Bacon-Wrapped Anything

How to win: The best part of this is that you get to mix up everyone's expectations and bring something memorable. Bacon-wrapped pork medallions with little toothpicks are a surefire winner. Bacon-wrapped scallops are a classic. Even bringing bacon-wrapped bacon will be good for a laugh — and people will still want it.

How to be a legend: Get some cheese in there, too. Everyone likes bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. Everyone.

How to lose: Anything where the bacon ends up served cold. Desserts. Salad bowls. Bacon needs to be served hot and crisp.

If these aren't actually soft, then we're not actually friends.

6. Soft Pretzels

How to win: It's important to emphasize that we're talking about soft pretzels here. Not a bag of hard, sourdough pretzels. Those are for when I'm drinking all the leftover Bud Light later because the Bengals blew their playoff win with less than a minute left on the game clock.

How to be a legend: The pretzels are the easy part. What you're going to bring is extra salt and an assortment of dipping sauces for everyone to enjoy with their pretzels – hot cheese, stone ground mustard, and pizza sauce are just the beginning.

How to lose: Few things in life are worse than picking up a warm pretzel, expecting to sink your teeth into its soft, buttery flesh and finding out it's rock hard, either because it's stale, old, or wasn't cooked properly. Do your due diligence.

If it's DiGiorno, you better have a good reason.

5. Pizza

How to win: Everyone loves a fresh, hot slice. Your best bet is to come with one cooked and ready and have a prepared, uncooked one ready to heat up mid-game. Coordinate with your host.

How to be a legend: Individual calzones.

How to lose: If you put pineapple on a pizza meant for a group, you're a sadist. Some people hate that. If you dip it in milk, you might as well be ISIS.

The only item on the list that is acceptable in its deconstructed form.

4. Street Tacos

How to win: Your biggest problem will be that some people will expect flour tortillas and/or cheese when we all know real street tacos have neither. It's fine; bring both. This is America.

How to be a legend: Bring a spit and carve off some al pastor filling for you and your friends. No one will ever be able to forget you. Make a day of it.

How to lose: Forgetting the pickled onions.

Extra credit for King's Hawaiian buns.

3. Sliders 

How to win: It's hard to go wrong with tiny cheeseburgers, my dude.

How to be a legend: Imagine the best burger you've ever had. Was it made with lamb? Wagyu or kobe beef? Did it have an amazing cheese component? Think of the veggies – pickles, arugula, tomatoes, onions, caramelized onions... the sky is the limit. Whatever made it so good, make a ton of those for your friends. Grab a few Beyond Meat patties for your vegetarian friends.

How to lose: Everyone will eat turkey burger sliders if you bring them, but many will resent you for it.

Blue Cheese still smells like feet but is an expected condiment here.

2. Wings

How to win: I know, everyone's probably wondering how wings ended up at #2 on a ranking of football foods. I love a good wing as much as anyone. While they're still tops, they're not the top. They're just expected at a football party these days and when was the last time you heard anyone say, "oh, you have Buffalo Wings?! I love these!"

How to be a legend: Bring a bunch of different flavors, outside of 'hot' and 'mild.' You should always bring the classics (because everyone expects them) but nowadays, there's so much everyone wants to try on a chicken wing: lemon pepper, Old Bay seasoning, spicy ginger, and so on.

How to lose: If you brought a bunch of crazy flavors and neglected to bring hot and/or mild, everyone is just going to ask for hot or mild. When you tell them you only brought garlic parmesan, they're going to look down and just say "oh." They're looking down because delivering any respect to your face is going to be difficult in that moment.

Admit it.

1. Ribs 

How to win: If I went to a football party and someone brought a legit racks of ribs, they'll be invited to every party I ever throw until the end of time.

How to be a legend: You brought ribs, buddy. You ARE a legend.

How to lose: McRibs.