It’s finally here. That magical time of year known as college football season. I missed the first couple weeks of the season, as I was wrapping up my tour of the National Parks out West. But with the arrival of Fall, I’ve crossed over the Mississippi, and will spend the next few months firmly entrenched in the South. While my season got off to a slow start, I’m making up for lost time, and my first game of the year was a great one.
University of Tennessee Football
Despite spending the last few years traveling all over the country for college football, this was somehow my first trip to watch the Vols play. If you’re a sports fan, a University of Tennessee football game absolutely has to be on your bucket list. I’ve been to a World Series, Final Four, and College Football National Championship, but they all paled in comparison to the atmosphere inside of Neyland Stadium this weekend. Tennessee has one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in the country, and they showed up in force.
In addition to the fan base, Tennessee is home to some of the best traditions college football has to offer. Is there anything cooler than seeing 100,000 people singing “Rocky Top”? If there’s a better fight song out there, I certainly haven’t heard it. If you go to a game, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll be humming “Rocky Top” for the next week. It’s that catchy. Every college football fan is familiar with Penn State’s “White Out” game, but what about “Checkered Neyland”? The sight of Neyland Stadium transformed into a giant orange and white checkerboard, is one of the cooler things you’ll ever see.
I’m unsure at this point if I’m going to replicate my MLB stadium tour, and start a college football ranking. But if I did, Tennessee would surely be near the top. Over the past few years, I’ve been to marquee rivalry games such as Alabama-LSU, Michigan-Ohio State, Iowa-Penn State, and Georgia-Alabama, but Florida-Tennessee is by far the loudest game I’ve been to. The other games I mentioned were all amazing, so that statement should be taken solely as an endorsement of the Tennessee football experience.
At some point I’ll probably write a more general primer on why I think everyone should embrace college football as America’s “National Pastime”. But for now, I’ll keep it brief by saying SEC football provides some of the absolute best environments in all of sports, and Tennessee is no exception. If you ever get the chance, you should absolutely see a game down South, and Tennessee is a great option.
That game was the loudest sporting event I’ve ever been to!! I definitely think an SEC ranking should be in your future! Go Vols!!