Tennessee fans used Apple Maps to turn Ohio Stadium into 'Neyland North' ahead of CFP
It's been a rough few weeks for Ohio Stadium. First, Michigan got to plant its flag at midfield after a shocking fourth straight win over the Buckeyes, an insult that touched off a full-scale brawl (and may or may not have inspired some particularly deranged legislation). And now it's Tennessee getting into the act, as the Volunteers get set to invade Columbus to take on Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
The two schools aren't as far apart as you might think, just a five-hour drive or so north — more than doable the weekend before a holiday. And after getting over the disappointment of not being awarded a home game from the playoff committee, Vols fans have quickly pivoted to doing their best to paint the Horseshoe orange.
Attendance concerns have plagued three of the four first-round sites, given the winter weather, fans trying to budget for a potentially deep playoff run and the fact that students won't be on campus over winter break. But it's been particularly stark at Ohio State; a Ticketmaster pre-sale code that was supposed to be reserved for Buckeye fans got leaked on the internet, and the secondary market has tilted heavily toward Tennessee. A representative from StubHub the Knoxville News Sentinel that the Tennessee-Ohio State game had sold more tickets than any other, "with Vols fans purchasing more tickets than those from the home team".
As dreams of a road-game checkerboard dance through their heads, Vols fans have been feeling themselves in the lead-up to kickoff. So much so, in fact, that at least one of them decided to take their invasion of the Horseshoe to a whole different level — even if they have to engage in a little hacking to do it.
Tennessee fans mark Ohio Stadium as 'Neyland North' ahead of College Football Playoff matchup with Ohio State
On Wednesday, word began to spread around the internet that a member of Vols Nation had somehow managed to relabel Ohio Stadium as "Neyland North" on Apple Maps — a reference to Tennessee's home field, Neyland Stadium, named after legendary head coach (and former brigadier general) Robert Neyland. No, seriously:
The edit was quickly flagged and corrected, but not before the troll had caught the attention of Ohio State fans. It's not often that you see fans of a 7.5-point road underdog quite this confident, but if you'd watched Ryan Day's team play over the last few weeks, you'd probably feel comfortable planting your flag too.