Fansided

College football stadiums: Ranking the 10 best game-day experiences

By Phil Poling

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Florida Gators celebrate with fans following a 35-31 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Florida Gators celebrate with fans following a 35-31 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 17: General view of Neyland Stadium before the game between the Missouri Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Missouri won the game 50-17. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 17: General view of Neyland Stadium before the game between the Missouri Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Missouri won the game 50-17. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /

839. 8. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Tennessee Volunteers. Knoxville. Neyland Stadium . player

Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., has a capacity of 102,455, making it the fourth-largest stadium in all of college football. It’s been home to the Tennessee Volunteers since 1919 when Col. W.S. Shields provided the funds for the project; the field, Shields-Watkins Field, is named after him and his wife, Alice Watkins-Shields.

Even though the Volunteers have struggled at home since 2010, posting a mark of 38-26, they’ve still managed to fill the stands…as long as their opponent is a worthy one.

The attendance at Neyland in 2018 was highest when the Florida Gators came to town (100,027), followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (97,087), the Kentucky Wildcats (95,258), and the home-opener against East Tennessee State (96,464). Like every other SEC team, though, putting butts in the seats for the University of Texas El-Paso and Charlotte can get tricky. If only they scheduled more teams fans cared to watch.

The stadium’s named after former Vols’ head coach General Robert Reese Neyland, who led the football team from 1926 through 1952; his stint was interrupted twice for military service.