All 150,000 tickets have been sold out in anticipation of the game that's supposed to set the attendance record on Saturday.
Virginia Tech and Tennessee face off in the Pilot Flying J "Battle at Bristol" Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
For the Vols, it's a chance to prove why they deserve that No. 9 preseason ranking after a near loss against Appalachian State. For the Hokies, it would be a signature win in just the second game for first-year head coach Justin Fuente.
MORE: Week 2 TV schedule | Week 2 AP poll
Here's how you can watch Virginia Tech-Tennessee, and keys to victory for both teams.
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
TV: ABC
Online: Watch ESPN
Virginia Tech-Tennessee all-time series
The Vols hold a 5-3 edge in the series against the Hokies. The two matchups of consequence were both in bowl games: Virginia Tech beat Tennessee, 37-14, in the 2009 Chick-fil-a Bowl and the Vols beat the Hokies, 45-23, in the 1994 Gator Bowl. Nobody else remembers the matchups prior to the bowl games, which occurred in 1896, 1897, 1899, 1911, 1933 and 1937.
Numbers that matter
0-for-5
This is Virginia Tech's record against ranked opponents in regular-season, neutral-site games. Despite all the success the Hokies had under Frank Beamer, this is a big blemish in that history. Justin Fuente has a huge task as a first-year head coach to break the streak and has to face the No. 17 team in the country to do it.
5
Virginia Tech's defense gave up just five rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks in 2015 while facing some of the best dual-threat QBs in the country: Cardale Jones/J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Thomas Sirk (Duke), Marquise Williams (North Carolina), Justin Thomas (Georgia Tech), Jacoby Brissett (N.C. State). Tennessee's Josh Dobbs, on the other hand, scored 11 rushing touchdowns in 2015. Look for Virginia Tech to contain the Vols' QB to prevent him from getting out in the open field.
115,109
115,109 people showed up for the Michigan-Notre Dame game at Michigan Stadium in 2013. Saturday's game will blow that figure out of the water. The 150,000 allotment of tickets has been sold out, but the attendance, as it so often does, will easily exceed that number. Expect to hear this number (and the new record) on Saturday's broadcast severalt imes.
Social buzz
This game's been billed as the one that'll break the college football attendance record, so everyone's eager to here just how many people show up to Bristol Motor Speedway. Expect a lot of discussion on the optics of the game — views from the stands at every angle, how panorama shots look on the broadcast — and how the equipment crew got around to setting up a football field on the infield of a NASCAR track.
The big question
How will Tennessee rebound? The Vols were one lost fumble away from losing to Applachian State last week and made crucial mistakes that the preseason SEC East favorite wasn't expected to make. This game will present Tennessee the opportunity to get its season back on track if it can handle Virginia Tech with ease. If not, Butch Jones and the Vols will have a lot of questions to answer.
