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- EA Sports and Spotify are hosting a multi-day “Campus Pregame” event on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus.
- The event runs Sept. 11-13 outside McClung Tower ahead of the Tennessee vs. Georgia football game.
- Fans can meet student-athletes, win prizes and watch a live-streamed EA Sports College Football 26 matchup.
- Country artist Tucker Wetmore will play as Tennessee against gaming personality Bordeaux, who will play as Georgia.
We’ve been running simulations of Tennessee football matchups on EA Sports College Football 26 and recently reported on how East Tennessee athletes can download their own high school teams.
Now, the video game is setting up shop on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus in a big way, partnering with Spotify to host events on campus for this weekend’s matchup between No. 15 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia.
At the “Campus Pregame” event, fans can meet student-athletes, win prizes and watch country music artist Tucker Wetmore and gaming personality Bordeaux face off in EA Sports College Football 26. The Sept. 11-13 event is the first of four events EA Sports is hosting this season on college campuses ahead of huge football matchups.
“Campus Pregame” will be held outside McClung Tower noon-5 p.m. Sept. 11-12 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 13, with UT-themed spaces for students and fans to explore and catch the following programs:
- Sept. 11: Four UT athletes on the Lady Vols soccer team (Cayden Norris, Ally Brown) and baseball team (Brandon Arvidson, Landon Mack) teams were on hand for a meet-and-greet.
- Sept. 12: The College Football 26 Showdown at 4 p.m. is sponsored by Spotify and will feature country music artist Tucker Wetmore playing as the Volunteers against content creator Bordeaux as the Bulldogs
- Sept. 13: A meet-and-greet with Bordeaux will give fans a chance to win the opportunity to play against the popular gamer.
Fans are greeted by attendants in front of a giant EA Sports wall. Inside the event area, fans and students can play the video game, themselves. Other activities include a football toss, reaction test and a kiosk where fans can make their own character card like the ones in the game (doing so gets you a keychain with a football, Power T or Smokey charm).
Bringing EA Sports to University of Tennessee a ‘no brainer’
The event is the first time EA Sports has held this Campus Pregame series, and UT was an obvious choice as the inaugural campus.
“We obviously know that the University of Tennessee specifically has a big place within the SEC and within the football culture and the college football landscape,” Matt Sacks, senior manager in marketing partnerships at EA Sports, told Knox News. “For us, it was a no brainer to come on campus here.”
The next three campus stops this season are Florida, Alabama and Ohio State, spotlighting major college football teams and marquee matchups. EA Sports worked with UT to make it all happen.
“It’s been awesome to be able to work with them, and they’re really happy and proud to be a part of it as well,” Sacks said.
UT athletes from the baseball and Lady Vols soccer team were on hand Thursday to meet with students and play the game. The Lady Vols soccer team is on a historic run, reaching the No. 1 rank for the first time in the program’s history.
Lady Vols soccer player Cayden Norris said events like the one EA Sports is hosting “gets us even more support because it could make people come watch the games and get to know who we are.”
Two pitchers from the baseball team, Brandon Arvidson and Landon Mack, enjoy these types of events for the opportunity to meet with fans and fellow students.
“It’s hard sometimes to socialize with people outside of your sport. You don’t have a lot of time to do that,” Arvidson said. “For example, I don’t have any in-person classes, so this is the only time I ever socialize with people … so it’s just a cool experience and I enjoy it.”
EA Sports showcases video game ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers game
The Sept. 12 showdown will be broadcast on livestream platform Twitch at twitch.tv/easportscollege. Viewers can earn “drops” during the stream to earn in-game tokens for Tennessee-themed packs and more for Madden NFL 26 Ultimate Team.
Sacks said the college football video game is designed to be authentic and fun to play. No matter how the game goes this Saturday, Sacks said, fans can simulate any outcome they want – kind of like what Knox News is doing for each Tennessee Volunteers game this season.
“It’s a fun way to preview the game, and of course we hope you guys get a win Saturday afternoon,” Sacks said. “But if you don’t, you can go into our game and get hundreds of wins.”
It’s a busy week for Vols fans, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” set to arrive on campus for the big game. Fans not on campus can enjoy more events before and during gameday, including the Red Bull Championship Run on Sept. 12 and a Hi-Wire Brewing watch party Sept. 13.
“It’s the decade of the Vols. We’re gonna win this year,” Mack told Knox News.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
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