Lebanon, TN – Now that in our fifth football season located here in Middle Tennessee, we have to say that we made a great move to follow what’s going on a few hours mostly west of the Smokies. Some unexpected turns both better and for worse. However, it’s allowed us to keep a finger on the pulse of Tennessee college football not only regarding nearby FBS and FCS programs. We also follow more on the happenings of regarding Power Fours and more Groups of Five teams. We have some of each within a day’s travel distance.
Of course, the biggest surprise came with the rise of Vanderbilt football. We didn’t expect to acquire any great interest to see much going on with what we always considered VU the “doormat of SEC football.” Well, times changed since we relocated. Close to Nashville, Vanderbilt stirs the interest not only around Tennessee, but throughout the country. And LSU fans I met at their game at FirstBank Stadium the week before last confirmed what many feel.
The player that stirred the pot
They attributed the turnaround not so much to HC Clark Lea, but to QB Diego Pavia. Of course, Lea deserves some credit. He enticed Pavia to transfer to Vanderbilt the season after he led Mexico State to an unexpected 10-5 record including a 31-10 victory at SEC stalwart Auburn. However, he also enticed NMSU OC Tim Beck. Prior to coaching at Las Cruces, Beck led highly successful D-2 Pittsburg State (KS) as head coach. He brought stability and direction to keep Pavia on course and improving.
Vandy’s record stands at 7-1 now, first time since 1990. We watched them defeat No. 10 LSU, 31-34, to jump into that same spot in the AP poll last week as well. Then, they not only hosted No. 15 Missouri, but Game Day also showed up in Nashville for the first time since 2008 (couldn’t believe it wasn’t longer that). With the win over Missouri, the now No. 9 Commodores not only have a shot to make the College Football Playoff this year, in Pavia they also have a leading Heisman candidate.
Whoever saw this coming when we made our move to Middle Tennessee five years ago? Have to admit, it’s great to have some big-time college football excitement now not far from Broadway in Nashville! We banked on Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro stepping up. That’s not happening. More on that later.
Then there’s No. 14 Tennessee
We came here feeling the Volunteers would definitely be Top Dog in the Greenest State in the Land of the Free (“Davey, Davey Crockett – King of the Wild Frontier”). In 2021, we watched Tennessee play in the Music City Bowl. At Nissan Stadium here in Nashville, Purdue pulled a last second upset, 48-45. Even with the 7-6 Vols surrounded by a sea of Orange (hard on these eyes). In 2023, we watched the Vols in their season opener destroy Virginia, 49-13, on their way to a 9-4 record. Note since relocating to Tennessee, we haven’t visited Neyland.
Did get to Neyland in 2009. The Volunteers opened the season against FBS newcomer Western Kentucky. They triumphed to the tune of 63-7. “Are you sick of ‘Rocky Top‘”‘ yet?” whispered the grandmother next to me. I sat with her, her husband and grandson who I bought my ticket from for $25). I can’t find a ticket price anywhere near that at any games played in Knoxville since. Maybe I’ll wait for the right price at the right time when the right game comes along. However, I have other college football priorities to achieve before I have to get back to Neyland for a high-price ticket right now.
A Tennessee team usually considered a foe
Being a Navy fan and as season ticket holder in Annapolis for 12 years, the Midshipmen generally compete with these Tiger in pretty significant conference games. The two have competed in some epic battles. I’ve seen the Memphis Tigers play in Annapolis. Navy won an exciting game, 22-21, in 2018. After moving in 2021, the Tigers defeated the Mids at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, 35-17.
The two will meet there again on Thanksgiving evening this year. Our family has other plans elsewhere, but this will be a major event. Navy currently stands 7-0, 5-0. They have some tough games ahead including at No. 12 Notre Dame. We’ll be there. If they can get past two other good AAC foes (North Texas and USF), the game against the Tigers could mean the AAC title. The No. 25 Tigers got by 18th-ranked South Florida last week, 34-31. The week before, however, they suffered a 31-24 upset at the hands of UAB. We will have to plan more games in this series at both teams’ venues over the years to come.
Tennessee FCS teams
Last Saturday, we made our first trek to Cookeville to see the No. 8 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (8-0) host the Southeast Missouri Red Hawks (4-4) in a Big South-OVC clash. Visited Cookeville several times years ago on business trips that influenced me to consider retiring to Tennessee. Actually, supported a facility in nearby Sparta and not sure it it’s still there. It may be a side trip.
Tennessee Tech ties
The Tech HC in his second season is Bobby Wilder. We attended Old Dominion games when that program started at the FBS level when he coached there. Our Navy son lived in nearby Virgina Beach at the time. So, our trips to see ODU were special to us. Wilder has his new program on a roll. We added Tucker Stadium as our 201st college football venue. We hope that if our schedule works out after the regular season that we can catch an FCS playoff game there again. Having seen No. 1 North Dakota State unleashed against struggling FCS Tennessee State earlier, we can make some comparisons to the best. On January 6, 2026, the championship game will entertain us at FirstBank Stadium right here in Nashville, Tennessee. NDSU has dominated the FCS for years. Always tough to beat.
Tech not the only FCS rodeo in Tennessee
Since moving to this great state, travels took us to see UT Chattanooga, Austin Peay and UT Martin action. UTC has microbreweries just beyond both end zones at Finley Stadium. Enjoyed the energy at Austin Peay when new, young HC Scotty Walden led that program. He moved on to UTEP the year before last. Going on an overnight to UT Martin, St. Laurie and yours truly had the opportunity to stop in Paris, Tennessee. We took pictures in front of the Eifel Tower there, of course.
With photos, we could fool some family members that we visited the real Paris, France. However, it did influence us somewhat to visit the real one on our vacation. Last June, we cruised the Seine River in France to visit Normandy Beach battle fields. Great honor to visit where the US forces and our Allies started freeing the European continent.
Saw Tennessee State play twice; once at Austin Peay under Heisman award-winning HC Eddie George. The other at “home” in Nissan Stadium where they got demolished by FCS No. 1 North Dakota State in WEEK Two this season.
Future Tennessee football considerations
Still have to get to an East Tennessee State home game. Tusculum plays D2 football out in Greenville not far from the Smokies. What the heck, we even attended a game this year at D3 Sewanee, known as the University of the South. It was a nostalgic trip for our friend Dave Oakley, class of ’69, who shared some memories running the Wing T formation for HC Shirley Majors. They just defeated South Atlantic foe Rhodes in Memphis last week to go 3-4. Two more wins would match their highest victory total since 2011.
The Maryville Scots stand at 6-1. Get this: 9,285 fans showed up at their Lloyd Thornton Stadium with a capacity of 5,500. They defeated Centre College of Kentucky, 33-13. However, they fell a week later on the road to Berry who leads the SAC with a 4-0 record. Maybe next year we’ll try to squeeze into Thornton when Berry visits. Sounds like a fun D3 experience.
Biggest Tennessee disappointment
Coming to Tennessee, initially Vanderbilt’s rep couldn’t stimulate fandom and Tennessee Orange hurts the eyes from experiences at five bowl games they play in when we attended. Then as mentioned, Neyland ticket prices exceeded the budget generally from week to week. So, Middle Tennessee seemed to offer the best chance to follow some good, local college football. They started out ok, but the last two years, the team just can’t stir as much interest. Derek Mason stepped in as coach with SEC experience and last season, like most schools, stocked up on the transfer portal. At Red Floyd Stadium, the empty aluminum seats make the stadium look colder than what it is.
No disrespect to HC Derek Mason, but having seen Scotty Walden coach at Austin Peay, he seemed like a young coach that could bring some new energy to Murfreesboro. He went on to UTEP instead. We invested in season tickets the previous two years before this one. Mostly for the weekday games and for a couple of bigger programs when Colorado State and Duke came to town. However, the program isn’t giving us the impetus to follow as closely as we’d hope for.
They now stand 1-7, 0-4 in Conference USA. They lost close games, but that just doesn’t cut it. Somehow the Blue Raider program has to generate some more excitement. Kind to taking a wait and see approach to them in the future. Hopefully, they can turn things around.
November for us
This weekend we head west to Arkansas to see the Razorbacks play at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium for our first ever Razorback home game. They and Mississippi State both show up with 0-4 SEC records. Should be a good game. The following week, we head to South Bend, Indiana where we hope to see Navy (7-0) play No. 12 Notre Dame tougher and with fewer mistakes than they did last season when we saw them play each other in The Meadowlands. We recorded our 700th game that day.
On November 15, we return to Winston-Salem, NC to catch up with Jim “Bugaluga” Harton and friends to see what his Demon Deacons can do against a North Carolina team under struggling under college coach Bill Belichick. After that, a home game of sorts for us as we drive over to FirstBank Stadium to see Vanderbilt host Kentucky. With family Thanksgiving in Florida, we plan to check in to see South Florida host Rice the Saturday after. We’re hoping it’ll be a scouting trip in case USF clashes with Navy in the AAC championship game on Friday, December 5. Fun Saturdays ahead in November!
Of course, more football history abounds beyond Tennessee in our latest book on Amazon.com. Recording fantastic football memories since 1972!
Click on the title about this life-long adventure: Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly on Amazon.com. Read the reviews on the book page and get your copy today! If you’re trying to follow NILs and transfer portals, read what we predicted in 2023 and more. You’ll see we know what we’re talking about.
In addition, we offered solutions to issues occurring that we anticipated when we wrote this book. Based on our game story above, this fun, unique life-long Journey continues. Catch up on the last 45 years, and then please submit a review. We hope you will get a “kick” out of our great adventure having now seen all 136 FBS teams play over the years! Who else can say that? Continue to come back and follow our future adventures. Bowls and play-off game lie ahead for the rest of this season. Thanks for checking this out!
