Norman Buzzing As Boos Welcome Tennessee Fans Strolling Campus, While Oklahoma Fans 'Grateful' For Josh Heupel

PublishedSeptember 20, 2024 4:10 PM EDT|UpdatedSeptember 20, 2024 4:10 PM EDT

NORMAN, Okla. — Whether it was the Oklahoma fans measuring out their tailgate setup or the Tennessee fans that had already made their way into Norman, the Sooners campus was buzzing on Friday afternoon before a massive showdown on Saturday night.

We are 24 hours away from one of the biggest games in recent memory for Oklahoma (Outside The Annual Texas Matchup) and fans were already getting into the welcoming spirit, as fans clad in Orange made their way around the football stadium on Friday. But we'll get to that in just a bit.

To be honest, this is one of the best times to see how everything comes together before a game of this magnitude. As you see on different campuses across the country, Oklahoma has an interesting tailgate policy for those fans looking to snag a spot next to the stadium.

As I made my way around the stadium and towards the tents that are lined up alongside the road, I found myself wondering what a number of Oklahoma fans were doing with tape-measures in their hands.

"So, the school allows us to come out here and set up our tailgate area on the Friday before every home game," Chad, from Moore, Oklahoma explained. "But they only allow us a certain amount of space, so that's why we have to measure out the size with this tape-measure. It can get pretty competitive around here. People have been tailgating in this area for a long time, so they don't like it when some newbie comes up.

Oklahoma fans measure out their space for the tailgate area, preparing for Saturdays game against Tennessee Via: Trey Wallace

I have certainly seen this at a number of campuses, most recently at Ole Miss and Alabama, but these guys and gals were not messing around when it came to their tailgate space.

As one gentleman got out of his car to throw a few chairs onto a spot on the lawn, one woman picked them up and threw them back towards his vehicle, as she decided to mark her territory.

I wasn't going to take the chance to even step into her small square formed on the grass, as I certainly didn't feel like getting yelled at on a Friday afternoon.

Tennessee Fans Have Invaded Norman, Before Kickoff On Saturday

Ok, I'll be honest, I've seen plenty of opposing fan bases make their presence known during an away game, but I don’t think I've ever seen anything like what Tennessee did in Baton Rouge two years ago. It was as if any fan of the Vols that lived within a certain driving distance made their way to LSU in Josh Heupel's first year as head coach.

Fast-forward two years later, and I was starting to get a sense that Tennessee fans were going to travel extremely well to Oklahoma. Taking a few laps around the stadium, I would hear people booing, which caught me by surprise. Who the hell were they booing at on a Friday afternoon?

Turns out I didn’t have to wait long to see the victims of the Oklahoma students, as a group of Tennessee fans came strolling by. Right on cue, as they made their way across the street, you could hear the booing from Oklahoma students making their way to class.

Tennessee fans take a stroll around the Oklahoma campus before the game on Saturday. Via: Trey Wallace

No, these weren't the group of fans that caught a few ‘f-bombs’ on their leisure walk around the Oklahoma campus.

Man, I love this sport.

I always give opposing fans credit for being able to take the verbal abuse that comes with wearing your team color onto campus, knowing the hell that's coming their way.

Josh Heupel Asked To 'Not Hang 20 Points On Us In First Quarter"

One of most interesting topics of discussion entering this game between Tennessee and Oklahoma centers around Vols head coach Josh Heupel returning to Norman. If you don't know the backstory as to why this is important, just read this article I wrote about it.

Tennessee fans take a stroll around the Oklahoma campus before the game on Saturday.

Norman, Oklahoma is the place to be for College Football on Saturday, as Tennessee and the Sooners face-off

Strolling around a few different tailgate setups on Friday, it was easy to notice how much Heupel means to the Oklahoma fans. But there were also a few requests.

"Look, I'm always grateful for Josh Heupel, and everything he did for the Sooners," Tim from Norman explained on the back of his pickup truck. "But I'm just hoping he doesn't hang 20-points on us in the first quarter. We will always have love for Heupel, and bringing us our last title. But, he's coaching the enemy now. So we will play nice before the game, but we aren’t going to ‘be quiet’ in the stands."

We are set up for a fun game on Saturday night in Norman that should live-up to the hype. The ‘Heupel Bowl’ is getting closer, and this is going to lead to some kind of fireworks.