KNOXVILLE – Playing in front of the largest crowd in college football history comes with a hefty payday for Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
The stakes for the Volunteers and Hokies are pretty high, too.
On an otherwise mundane Saturday slate of games, Tennessee and Virginia Tech square off as part of the spectacle of a football game at Bristol Motor Speedway, where more than 160,000 fans are expected to set the sport’s attendance record.
For Tennessee the national stage presents the opportunity to regain some of the respect lost by the poor performance and fortunate season-opening escape against Appalachian State.
“I wouldn’t use the term ‘relieved,'” Vols coach Butch Jones said. “I would say excited that we won the football game, but not satisfied. They understand that we didn’t play our best football. They understand that we created a lot of adversity for ourselves. They also understand (App State) was a really good football team.