30 bucket list items college football fans need to experience

13. Vol Navy, Tennessee

Of course, another stadium across the country is also accessible by boat. While a visit to Neyland Stadium in Knoxville is a college football bucket list item in itself, doing so as a member of the Vol Navy would be the cherry on top of the experience.

Built on the banks of the Tennessee River in 1921, Shields-Watkins Field has an opening capacity of 3,200. After more than a dozen renovations and a name change, Neyland Stadium (named for former coach Robert Neyland) now seats 102,455 fans and has hosted up to 109,061 for a football game. The stadium is currently the fifth largest in the nation, and ranks sixth in the world.

Of the many great traditions on display at the grand facility, including the orange and white checkered end zones and players running through the Power T, getting to the game via boat is one of the best.

It’s also pretty rare when you consider more than 100,000 people commonly flock to Tennessee home football games, but only 200-250 boats travel to the game on game day. If an opportunity arises, it’s a must.

The tradition started in 1962 when longtime Tennessee radio broadcaster George Mooney famously chose to avoid game day traffic by navigating his boat from home to the stadium. The practice became more popular with fans and alumni, and today 50 or so boats dock near the stadium on Friday nights to get the best spots for an all-day sailgating affair Saturday.