Are you superstitious when it comes to the Vols?

Irrational as you mentioned, but…

First time I ever put a car flag on my own vehicle was my senior year of high school…1998. The morning of the Florida game, I snapped one on my car real quick, and then watched it fly off into the vehicle behind me on Kingston Pike a few minutes later. We beat the Gators later that night.

Next year as a freshman at UT, my roommate and I made the long drive to Gainesville rocking the car flag. We lost, and he and I agreed right then and there: no more car flags. When we went to Tuscaloosa without one and won a few weeks later, the tradition was sealed.

I’ve got a decal on my rear window, but that’s it. The car flag comes off, we win. The car flag stays on, we lose. I enjoy seeing them all over the place and en route to away games in the fall…but on my own vehicle, they bring certain defeat.

I have shirts for certain games. I have one “away” shirt that is undefeated, and it has been to Florida, Georgia, Kentucky 3xs, Vandy twice, and South Carolina. I didn’t wear it to the Peach bowl vs. Maryland, and I still haven’t forgiven myself.

I have a day game and night game shirt, which can be substituted if I get a “feeling.”

I HAVE to listen to Pride of the Southland’s “Rocky Top” in the car on the way, or it doesn’t feel like gameday.

The car flags haven’t proven enough streakiness/luck/nonluck for me to stick with one way of having them on my car.

There may be a few others, but I think my neurosis have surfaced themselves enough for one comment.

6 days, guys and gals!

I have one shirt with a much better record than another, so that shirt is getting used for the Oregon game and the other one for the UTM game (give it a softball to wash off the bad luck). During March Madness, I listened to Five Iron Frenzy before each game (along with wearing the luckier shirt over and over). We would’ve kept winning, except for my preacher made a reference to “All Along the Watchtower” the morning of the Michigan State game. The only other time I had that song stuck in my head on gameday was the 29 point loss to Kentucky.

OK. Mine’s pretty lame. I must be wearing something orange (truthfully, this is the case EVERY Saturday, game day or not). I also have a pair of boxers that make gameday appearances (TMI, I know, but you DID ask…). Finally, there must be a Pepsi within reach, preferably in a Solo cup (orange, of course!), and sausage cheese dip. There you go! I can’t wait for Saturday…

I used to wear the same shirt for every single game, a vintage UT shirt with the old school Davy Crockett VOLS design on it. Unfortunately its breaking down and developing holes so I’ve been forced to retire it. So I’m starting a new gameday attire tradition: solid orange pants/white UT polo shirt.

As far as watching the game: beer and jack daniels are a gameday must. I’m a very active spectator in the stadium and at the house. When watching at home I have trouble sitting still. After particularly rough losses (ie bama last year) my phone may stay off until Sunday. I can only watch UT games with select company. I’d rather watch a game alone then with people who will continually make mindless comments about anything they see on the field (i.e. “I like the other teams colors” …looking at you mom… ;)

I usually change my perspective of the action during huge moments of the game (i.e. left my bleacher seat during the 06 LSU game during our goal line stand at the end to watch the action from the aisle, during our onside kick at Bama last season I turned my back to the field to instead watch the play on the jumbotron, will stand up and watch the TV from a doorway when at home, etc.).

Last year me and the friends I tailgate with would all take a shot of moonshine together before starting our final walk to the game. Always Coke as a chaser.

Made a certain type of very, very spicy cheese-dip that he called “Gator Bait” for the Florida game. This tradition continued through 2004, but then a kitchen fire destroyed the recipe for the exact way it was mixed.

Gator Bait record: 4-3
Non-Gator Gair Record: 0-5.

I do my vehicle 8 ways to Sunday win or lose every Friday before the game
and I always wear my UT Jacket, and my UT Polo to work.

That said I have what my friends call my “magic hat” A black leather Tennessee hat. I’ve worn it to every game I have ever attended and so far it’s at 12- 0. Its the one in my profile pic.

I never wear on games I don’t attend tho, for some reason I think as soon as I do that it will fail.

My watch-from-home ball cap is not nearly as lucky but it does the job. I also have a tailgate cowboy hat with a UT headband and IT pin. I wear it when ever UT and Arkansas play, or when UT and GA play

On the games I grill according to who we are playing.

LSU? We make cajun food. Crawdads, shrimp, and boudin
Alabama? Chitlins
Arkansas? Pork Loin
Memphis? BBQ
Florida? Grilled Gator, and seafood
So on and so forth.

Each game day starts with a special blend of coffee I call Volunteer Sunrise. A Mix of two dark roast blends: Foglifter and Midnight Express I put the two together in a big coffee can I have, mix them up, and add 2 teaspoons of salt to the grounds in the can.

Usually last me the entire season.

And last but not least is my game day cigar. I plan every season with a cigar grouping that I usually post at my website. In fact I’m due to do just that today but I may not have time.

but the first step is admission. there are simply too many to list.

This one is my wife’s — but I swear by it also. If she doesn’t watch the opening kick-off, the Vols are pretty much doomed. Seriously, she is about 85 percent on this one. Unfortunately, we spent the last couple of years in Mississippi and they don’t feel the same way about football as we do here in Tennessee. I almost went into catastrophic meltdown because the local TV station there showed Mississippi State instead of Tennessee. My wife didn’t see the kick-off, and we lost. It wasn’t until we were able to get the games on ESPN 360 later in the year that the universe became balanced again and my wife started watching kick-offs again.