2 DAYS!!!!!!!

originally purblished in august 2009.

omg less than 48 hours!!!!!!

10. the pride of the southland marching band
9. smokey
8. rocky top
7. the color orange
6. eric berry
5. trash talking
4. lane kiffin derek dooley
3. tailgating
2. neyland stadium!!

ever been in a room with 108,000 people, most of them dressed in volunteer orange? i have. and it's just flat out exhilirating. there's no two ways about it. there's only one place in the world where such a dreamscape is possible, and that's neyland stadium.
situated on the banks of the mighty tennessee river, she serves as a beacon of hope and light for all passing vessels. the stadium was first built in 1921, and consisted only of what is now the lower level of the west stands.

"In 1962, the stadium was renamed Neyland Stadium in honor of former athletic director and coach General Robert Neyland. Neyland, the man credited with making the Vols a national football power, coached the team from 1926–1952, with two interruptions for military service."

this year, construction is wrapping up on the latest of many expansions. unfortunately, they've gone and uglied up a lot of it. one exception is the beautiful new locker rooms (click that, trust me). 11 biscuits!! thankfully, only a small portion of the magic possessed by this place lies in its architecture.

upon entering this glorious cathedral, one's very essence is set ablaze by the fire of tennessee pride. remember that volunteer pride-opus i told you about? well, he lives here. and he loves you. as you step through the vomitory (thx bun-bun) and into the stadium, your eyes darting this way and that, taking in the faces of the thousands of comrades that surround you before finally settling on the breathtaking checkerboard endzones, you can literally feel his eight arms holding you tightly.

there are a few things that must be experienced in person, in this venue, in order to say that you've even lived a drop of life:

the power-t marching up the field
smokey leading the team through "the T" (drunken hollerin' included. here we go! WOO!)
a post-touchdown round of rocky top (that's joel singing)

...just to name a few. i guess what i'm trying to say is that neyland stadium is basically the mecca of college football. as in you'll go to hell if you don't visit it before you die. i don't make the rules...

just sayin'. go there. this weekend if possible! you'll love it!

V.... O... L.... S....

V! O! L! S!

V-O-L-S- GO! VOLS! GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

right, dave?

bonus links:
america's largest stadiums (that first one doesn't even go all the way around!!)
college football's loudest stadiums
time-lapse of a ut-georgia game