To say the Tennessee fanbase splits opinion would be an understatement. You either think the Vols’ faithful capture the essence of CFB or that they’re the most obnoxious bunch in the sport. The fans down in Knoxville sure do get loud, be that as it may. On Saturday, the latter of the two sentiments manifested itself, and it wasn’t a good look.

No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers ( 7-1) hosted the Kentucky Wildcats (3-6) at Neyland Stadium this weekend. The traversal of both teams through the course of the season couldn’t be more contrasting. Yet, the cross-border SEC rivalry was hotly contested as usual. When Kentucky D-lineman Tre’vonn Rybka seemed to go down hurt midway through the 2nd quarter, Vols fans were skeptical he was faking it to buy time and deter Tennessee’s drive in the red zone. They let their feelings be known in unison.

Scathing chants of “He’s a p—y” echoed around the stadium. That’s brutal. The fanbase is infamous for this sort of behaviour in the past as well. While the tribal nature of the sport and the culture that fans bring about to their programs are its identity, this was perhaps one instant where the passion boiled over into something quite abhorrent.

There is a history between Rybka and UT. The player chose to commit to Kentucky and snubbed the Vols coming out of high school. The fans likely remembered this and saw the opportunity to get one over the senior-year vet. Rybka returned to the game after a few minutes on the sidelines. Tennessee finished with a 28-18 victory, with their playoff aspirations still intact.

In the aftermath of the moment, CFB fans naturally took to social media to voice their disdain, with one fan calling the Vols fanbase a “disgusting group”. Not too many fanbases need an invite to jump onto Tennessee and reiterate years of despise. Here are some of the reactions off X…

People did not mince words in harping about what went down

One Wildcats fan kept it a buck and crowned UT “The worst [fanbase] and there really isn’t a close second. I think they embrace it”. Vols’ fans are aware of this notion and do adopt the villainous persona openly. A Longhorns fan went down the sarcasm route and said, “Keep it classy, @Vol_Football.”

“Not a good look,” remarked another, and he was not wrong. “Tennessee has the most disrespectful and disgusting group of fans in the country, and it’s not close.” You get the gist. One Indiana fan, whose team can’t seem to do any wrong on the contrary, went more holistic as he posted, “worst fanbase, worst city, worst university… get ROCKY TOPPED”.

The general feeling among Tennessee fans was an apparent absence of regret. They know what the world thinks of them, and they revel in it. As long as the team continues putting wins on the board, don’t expect Neyland Stadium to become less hostile any time soon.