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Tennessee football: Checker Neyland, black jerseys and how Vols should schedule their gimmicks

By Caleb Calhoun

Fans checker the Neyland Stadium as players run the "Power T" before the game against Florida on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tenn.1005 Kcsp Utfl0933 Al
Fans checker the Neyland Stadium as players run the "Power T" before the game against Florida on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tenn.1005 Kcsp Utfl0933 Al /
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Tennessee players take the field as the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland marching band performs a pregame show and fans checker Neyland Stadium orange and white for the Florida game on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.0925 Kcsp Utfl 012 Mp
Tennessee players take the field as the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland marching band performs a pregame show and fans checker Neyland Stadium orange and white for the Florida game on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.0925 Kcsp Utfl 012 Mp /

3. Checker Neyland – First home game vs. Power Five team except Week 1

The debut for this one should’ve been that September matchup with Pitt. Checker Neyland always came against Tennessee football’s first Power Five foe at home during a year. They did it against the Florida Gators in 2014, the Oklahoma Sooners in 2015, Florida in 2016 and Georgia in 2017, all of which were their first home games against Power Five foes.

This is a way to really get the fans going for their first big home game of any season. It adds to the allure of the program, and it allows for a set date every year that fans can plan for rather than Danny White having to plan on the fly.

A lot of fans may not remember this, but the first checkered stadium ever for UT was actually in 2006 at Thompson-Boling Arena, when the men’s basketball team hosted the Kentucky Wildcats as Ray Mears was honored. Football did it for the first time in 2014 against Florida.

The only exception to this rule is Week 1. Outside of non-Saturday games, which we’ve already broken down, there’s no reason for extra hype for a season-opening game if it’s against a Power Five school. As a result, should that ever be the case, the Vols need to move Checker Neyland to their second home game against a Power Five school, likely their SEC opener.

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