Tennessee fans have done an incredible job of aligning themselves for a common cause when it comes to creating a nearly unbeatable home field advantage at Neyland Stadium. The Vols have gone all-orange in the stands and even checkered Neyland.
It’s time to come together once again with a new directive in mind. It’s time to stop charging the field.
I know that Tennessee fans technically upset Alabama on Saturday. The Crimson Tide were about a three-point favorite over the Vols. However, Tennessee beat Alabama in 2022, handled the Crimson Tide for a half last season in Tuscaloosa and have pulled even with Bama in national prestige. A win against Alabama should be celebrated, but it’s just not a good look to charge the field over a quality win, not an amazing upset win, which is what Tennessee accomplished on Saturday.
It’s time for Tennessee fans to act like they’ve been there before. Alabama and Georgia don’t charge the field after a big win. Why? Because those teams expect to win big games. They’ve done so in the past. Now, the Vols are in that category. It might be a good look for recruits who are in attendance, but it looks rather pathetic nowadays. In fact, there isn’t one team in the country that should prompt Tennessee fans to charge the field. If the Vols played and beat No. 1 Oregon, would that be worthy of a field storming? Absolutely not.
I’m sure one could argue that charging the field is great television and could help the Vols get into the College Football Playoff if they’re on the cusp. However, an argument could also be made that charging the field makes one think Tennessee is surprised by a big win and could actually be viewed as a wannabe. I’m not inside the heads of the members of the College Football Playoff committee, but there is more than one reason that Tennessee’s fans shouldn’t charge the field.
It’s just a matter of time until players are involved in a physical confrontation with students that suddenly think the football field is a good place to rally around their team. It’s not. Tennessee has learned twice in recent memory that charging the field can lead to bad things.
Tennessee defensive tackle Omari Thomas was involved in an incident in which he pushed a fan earlier this season when Arkansas charged the field after beating the Vols. An Alabama player struck a female fan when Tennessee’s fans charged the field in 2022.
It’s time for all field charging to stop. However, it’s time for Tennessee fans to stop charging the field for one simple reason: the Vols belong in the conversation with any top team in the country. That’s not going to change anytime soon, but the habit of charging the field after a big win needs to end immediately.
