COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Ask Alabama fans what they think about College Station, and it’s pretty much unanimous: A&M is sort of like the anti-LSU.

Tide fans started to converge on campus and its nearby hot-spots this afternoon. The hospitality so far, they said, stands out above all else they’ve encountered.

“These are very cordial people, unlike LSU,’’ said Richard Martin of Montgomery. His buddy James Howard agreed. “They go out of their way to come talk to you. They’re young (in the SEC) I guess.”

It’s surprising, or maybe not, how often the LSU comparison has been tossed around today. “They’re not even close to LSU,’’ said Hoover’s David Nichols. “The folks here have just been very hospitable.”

One A&M employee stopped a Bama couple walking across campus and offered them a ride in his golf cart. Another Aggie overheard a group of men asking for the closest bar and stepped in to help. “We stopped at the store and asked where we should go to get a drink,’’ said 35-year-old Hunter Allen of Birmingham. “He said, ‘You’re far away. Let me take you there. Then he offered to pick us up tomorrow and drop us at the game.’’’

Perhaps Birmingham’s Lisa Smith explained it best. “I’ve never been ‘howdy’d ’ this much in my life,’’ she said. “It’s a new world, not being harassed. They are just so welcoming.”

Texas A&M officials predict about 10,000 of the 87,000 inside Kyle Field at kickoff Saturday will be Bama supporters. Tens of thousands of others from both sides, those without the coveted ticket, will hang around outside for the atmosphere.

Jeff Guinee, 37, traveled to College Station from Boston. He’s kind of a born-again Bama fan. He and his friends decided two years ago to travel to Tuscaloosa for the LSU game simply to watch Number 1 play Number 2. “We bought a bunch of Bama gear and got indoctrinated,’’ Guinee said. “It’s crazy. We don’t have any like this with college football up North.”

By nightfall, the local bars and restaurants in the Northgate District, A&M's version of The Strip, were a healthy mix of fans from both schools and getting more crowded by the minute. A free concert, “Live from Kyle Field,” was set to kick off at 8 p.m. featuring Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.

The concert will end an hour before A&M will hold its traditional Yell Practice, which takes place at midnight in the stadium before each game. School officials said they expect 40,000 to attend the midnight event.

Todd Spivey, 34 of Huntsville, brought an RV to College Station with a group of his friends, all of whom graduated from Alabama. They said are planning to attend tonight’s Yell Practice, and said they have no doubt they’ll be welcome there as well. “They aren’t fighting it,’’ he said with chuckle. “They can’t stop what’s coming tomorrow.”