The “where to watch college football Downtown” post

Here are the results of my information-gathering this week about college football-watching venues…

Max’s Sports Bar, which opens at 4:30 PM most of the rest of the year, will open early during college football season. This is the only true sports bar Downtown, with 10 TVs plus a projection TV on the big deck out back. They get the all-access season packages, although as far as I know they’re not getting any of the pay-per-view games happening the first week. Very friendly locals and die-hard sports enthusiasts sitting at the bar, and Lauren behind the bar to take care of you all afternoon. Sound will be on for whichever is the biggest of the games currently playing (or whichever involves local/regional teams). $2.50 PBR. 9 more beers on draft, and more in bottles.

The only bar I’ve heard of that is running specials for college football is The Green Beetle. They’ll have buckets of domestic beers 5 for $10, Heineken 5 for $12.99, mix and match imports for $12.99, 4 PBR or Miller High Life for $8. They will have food specials as well, and these specials also run during NFL games. They will have the sound on. They have cable but not the all-access package.

This isn’t a Downtown venue, but I got an email saying the UT Alumni Association will be at the Racquet Club, showing Tennessee’s pay-per-view game Saturday with sound and a 73-inch TV.

For bars where fans of a particular team congregate, Local tends to be a UT bar (which is why I don’t go in there much during football and basketball season). Max’s Sports Bar welcomes fans of all team affiliations, but you’d be hard-pressed to ever go in there and not find an Arkansas fan or two.

Memphis vs. Mississippi State is tonight at 7. It’s on Fox Sports. That’s a regular cable channel, so you won’t have to find a bar will all-access. Most bars Downtown should have it on.

If I left out any bars that are having specials for college football, are showing PPVs, or are gathering places for a particular team, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll post.