On Sunday morning, October 12, the day after the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in a close game, Coordinating Producer Aaron Katzman made the call: SEC Nation was headed to Knoxville to cover the Tennessee vs. Alabama game on the third weekend in October. Every Saturday during football season, the live broadcast on the SEC Network reports from a different college town in the South, picking the location based on what they think will be the biggest sports story of the week. The Tennessee Alabama game would be a high stakes matchup of two one-loss teams with a long and bitter rivalry, so Katzman set the wheels in motion for a trip to Rocky Top. In six days, SEC Nation would move their entire operation—about 100 staffers, a bus, a mobile production truck, and several 18-wheelers full of stages, screens, cameras, sponsor tents, you name it—from Dallas, Texas (where they covered the Texas vs. Oklahoma game), to Knoxville, where they would set up for a live broadcast on the University of Tennessee campus. The circus was coming to town. 

Katzman, the ringmaster, is in his first year as the producer of the show. He oversees a team of on-air talent, producers, and an army of support staff who all have to work together to succeed on game day. The on-air talent includes a mix of college football legends and seasoned analysts—Tim Tebow, Roman Harper, Chase Daniel, Matt Barrie, and Marion Crowder. Paul Finebaum, known for his direct connection with fans, hosts Finebaum Fridays, and Marty Smith and Ryan McGee round out the crew, hosting Marty and McGee as well as contributing to other SEC Nation segments. On a wild weekend in Knoxville, Southern Living got a behind-the-scenes look at how it all comes together. 

The Production Meeting 

The day before the game, all the hosts and producers sit around a long table in a classroom near Ayers Hall, talking about the biggest stories in the SEC. Tebow and Daniels get into an animated debate about how good Arch Manning is. Marty Smith talks about Georgia’s defense, and Roman Harper (a former safety at Alabama) explains why he thinks Crimson Tide is going to beat Tennessee. It’s all prep for the conversations happening on air tomorrow, and these guys are clearly having fun. At the end of the meeting, Katzman shows some video clips of the previous week’s broadcast, pointing out mistakes and highlighting good segments. He’s like a coach reviewing game film, and after a few small adjustments, everyone’s ready.    

Game Day 

On Saturday morning, SEC Nation has taken over the quad in front of Ayers Hall. There are three stages set up, and by 9 a.m. a couple hundred orange-clad Tennessee fans have gathered to watch. Host Matt Barrie kicks off the three-hour broadcast with Finebaum, Harper, Daniels, and Tebow, and they dive into the topics they rehearsed the day before. It’s an animated bunch—at one point Tebow and Daniels jump out of their seats—and the fans cheer them on. Meanwhile, in between bits of analysis, Finebaum cracks jokes about his age and his hairline. This is a group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. 

For the Volunteer faithful, it feels more like a well-orchestrated pep rally than a TV show. The Tennessee cheerleaders show up, joined by Smokey the mascot, who amps up the crowd. When Vols Coach Josh Heupel appears for a segment, the broadcasters grill him with questions about his defense, his quarterback, and his game plan. As he walks off stage, Smokey the Bluetick Coonhound appears and poses with fans for a few pictures. Soon, he’ll be trotting around the field at Neyland Stadium in front of 102,000 people. 

The Surprise Guest 

The last segment of SEC Nation is a well-timed surprise. Country star Riley Green, a former college quarterback at Jacksonville State University who still loves the game, has just released a song with Peyton Manning called “Alabama vs. Tennessee.” When the Alabama native picks Auburn to upset Georgia, Tebow jumps out of his chair again and all the other broadcasters shake their heads in disbelief—but Green will turn out to be right. Later that night, Auburn wins.  

Next Stop, Auburn  

After a Saturday with the most upsets of top-10 teams in decades (including Tennessee’s upset of Alabama), Katzman again has to make a decision about next week’s show, and this time they’re headed back to Auburn for an epic matchup with LSU. Calls go out to the school to coordinate with cheerleaders, mascots, Coach Alex Golesh, and student groups. The trucks are loaded, the staff and crew hit the road, and SEC Nation circus is on the way to another football showdown, ready to do it all over again. 

Tune In

Tune in to SEC Nation each Saturday in the fall from 9-noon ET on SEC Network.

Read the original article on Southern Living