The nightly news has the Orange and White Nation Report that talks about the forecast of the season and what was covered at football practice today. Vols gear, tailgate sets, igloos, flags, pom poms and more flood local retailers and fly off the shelf. And this is before the season even begins. The Vol Fever has just begun.
It’s no secret that SEC football games mean more, and that Tennessee Vol fans are some of the most passionate and loyal fans out there, so it is not surprising that game days on Rocky Top are unlike any other games in the country.
Of course, Tennessee has traditions, much like any other campus, and these traditions are a big part of what makes Saturday’s in Knoxville what they are. On game days there is a tangible electricity in the air that builds until kick-off. It starts with the excitement of the Vol Walk and the Pride of the Southland parade through campus, grows as you sail-gate with the Vol Navy on the Tennessee, builds as you join the sea of fans clad in orange and white, intensifies with the pre-game show from the Pride of the Southland band and every time you hear Rocky Top, bubbles up with the Vol Football team being lead through the T by Smokey, and culminates with the kick-off fireworks and feeling Neyland begin to rock. Now it is officially, FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!
