Upcoming college football game gives Tennessee Vols a big slap in the face with latest reveal
EA Sports is set to release College Football 25 on July 17. Over the last several weeks, the company has slowly revealed tidbits about the game, from game features to sneak peaks of players and stadiums to traditions being included. The company revealed something else on Tuesday that is sure to chap the backsides of […]
EA Sports is set to release College Football 25 on July 17. Over the last several weeks, the company has slowly revealed tidbits about the game, from game features to sneak peaks of players and stadiums to traditions being included.
The company revealed something else on Tuesday that is sure to chap the backsides of Tennessee fans playing the game. The top 10 stadiums were listed by intimidation factor, and Neyland Stadium was nowhere to be found on it. In fact, the Vols came in 13th on the list provided by EA Sports.
Some might say big deal, but as far as the game play, the stadium pulse actually is a factor. The louder and more intimidating the stadium is, the more it can affect the visiting players and cause mistakes.
And, of course, it seems pretty much just flat-out wrong to not have the Vols higher based on the environment that Tennessee fans have generated inside Neyland Stadium. Tennessee fans have helped Neyland Stadium reach, allegedly, the highest decibel mark in the country last year against Georgia. The year before in the Vols' 52-49 win over Alabama, Neyland Stadium reached 125.4 decibels according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
"The 120-125 decibel range is similar to that of a jet engine, being right next to emergency vehicle sirens or a crack of thunder happening right above you," wrote Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel.
According to EA Sports' release, the actual considerations for their ranking include "historical stats such as home winning %, home game attendance, active home winning streaks, team prestige, and more."
That's a curious set of factors. Historically, only Alabama has a higher overall all-time winning percentage among SEC schools than Tennessee. Neyland Stadium also has the third largest capacity in the SEC.
Regardless, Tennessee fans will no doubt have Neyland Stadium rocking this fall with Florida and Alabama set to come to town in back-to-back weeks. And we'll see if perhaps next year Tennessee and Neyland Stadium get more credit than they did this year.
National outlet gives Tennessee Vols’ Nico Iamaleava high praise amidst an iffy ranking in list of top QBs for 2024
A mixed return for the Vols’ QB in one outlet’s rankings for this fall
