10. Tennessee fans #CheckerNeyland and invade Nashville
There was no better physical representation of Tennessee’s fan support during the 2014 season than the checkering of Neyland Stadium and the invasion of Vanderbilt. Tennessee, despite clearly being in the middle of a rebuilding job, managed to average just shy of 100,000 fans per home game in 2014. The Vols sold out Neyland and executed a checkerboard pattern in the stadium against Florida, making for one of the most impressive sights of the college football season. And when it came time to travel to Nashville for a game the Vols needed to win to clinch a bowl bid, Vol Nation invaded Vanderbilt Stadium, painting a good majority of the stadium orange. Fan support was cited as a “deciding factor” by Butch Jones when discussing how the Vols were ultimately placed in the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville.
