Virginia Tech vs Tennessee: 156,990 people attend Battle at Bristol

Virginia Tech vs Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday had a lot of people watching. Over 150,000 fans to be a little more precise.

It wasn’t announced until the second half of Virginia Tech vs Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the attendance number was … well, high.

Very high.

Over 150,000 fans packed Bristol for the showdown at the race track and it was quite a scene. During the third quarter of the game, Rece Davis announced on the ABC broadcast what the exact number was on Saturday night.

156,990 people entered through the gates at Bristol in what became the largest crowd in the history of college football. That blew away the record number set by the night game between Notre Dame and Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor a few years back.

Along with the crowd of almost 157,000 people, a giant scoreboard (nicknamed “Colossus”) was placed 96 feet above the field on Saturday night. It just added to what was an incredible scene at Bristol.

The next thing on the docket for the folks at Bristol would be finding a way to get a football game and a NASCAR race going at the same time one weekend.

Is it a smart idea? Probably not.

Can it be done? Yes.

Should it be done? Of course.

In all seriousness, the game is great to see. Virginia and Tennessee border each other and Bristol basically marks the halfway point between the two campuses. This game should be played more often and not necessarily with a giant scoreboard hovering over the players.

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It’s definitely has the makings of a nice non-conference duel early in the year each season. Virginia Tech may not have the hype that the Vols will get playing in the SEC, but it could turn into a solid rivalry game over time.