Thousands of Red Wavers will descend upon Ann Arbor on Saturday for the season opener at Michigan. The college town is considered one of the best in the nation — to match its championship football team — and has plenty of fine places to eat before or after the game.

Fresno State sold out its fan allotment of 2,000 tickets — at $125 each. The school held on to 600 tickets for itself, and another 400 for guests of players. The Red may be a spec of the Maize and Blue at 107,601-seat Michigan Stadium (but likely more than 110,000 squeeze into college football’s largest stadium).

I am a proud alumnus of U of M — Class of 2000 — and am delighted to see that several of my favorite eating spots remain. Here are my recommendations, from fancy to simple.

Some basics to know: the town’s nickname is A-Squared. It’s maize, not yellow. And Ohio State sucks (so does Michigan State).

Fancy: Zingerman’s Deli and Gandy Dancer

Whenever my parents came to town, I delighted in the opportunity to avoid the dining halls and eat at the fanciest places in town. Not only were they usually out of my financial league, I didn’t have a car my freshman year.

The top spot would be Gandy Dancer (401 Depot Street), located at the old train depot, in the Kerrytown section, north of Central Campus. This would also be the place to impress a date.

Nearby is Zingerman’s Deli (422 Detroit Street), another place that was on docket when Mom and Dad came to town. The deli is known for its enormous sandwiches — they’re jaw-dropping big.

You can’t go wrong with the corned beef or Reuben (even at $20 it’s worth it). And the pickle is just as massive!

Medium: Cottage Inn and Red Hawk

Red Hawk Bar & Grill, located in the heart of Central Campus (316 S. State Street), is the place to grab a drink with friends, or lunch with a professor. The red brick interior and large glass window overlooking campus, and menu of sandwiches and burgers, make it a convenient and tasty place for the Ann Arbor experience.

Cottage Inn is the top pizza joint. The regional chain has 50 stores in Michigan, with four in Ann Arbor (546 Packard Street is closest to Central Campus). This would be the pizza place that campus clubs would order from to cater meetings.

Simple: Burgers, Wings, and Booze

Krazy Jim’s Blimpyburger (304 S. Ashley Street) was smashburgers before that term became a thing. You order by double, triple, quad or more! Add in grilled items, cheese and watch it sizzle.

The place still uses the slogan “cheaper than food.” A quad is $5.75.

For wings, hit Mr. Spots (808 S. State Street). The place also bills itself as Tom Brady’s favorite cheesesteak.

The late night place to go among my friends was Good Time Charley’s (1140 S. University Avenue). The food was OK, but I do recall the Long Island Ice Tea specials.

I can’t vouch if the special is still on the menu, but it is the best place to find cheap college drinks.