Yet another "I’m coming into town for the game…help me not hate life going to/from the stadium"

I'm flying into town for the CFP on Sunday. I plan on renting a car, as I'll have to make two separate trips to IAH to pick up family. I'm staying in the City Gate subdivision, which looks to be about ~7 miles south of the stadium. I've read that the red line train is the most efficient way to bypass the before/after game killzone.

My question is, does it make sense to drive somewhere closer to the stadium, park there and catch the train to/from NRG? What are the options that make the most sense? I would imagine we'd probably go somewhere to eat before the game so we're not tempted to buy over priced food at the stadium.

Thanks in advance.