I said it earlier: I’ll be watching the UT/Memphis game. I went to UT, I love UT, I’ll be rooting for UT. I wouldn’t say I’m completely fanatical — Georgia Tech is my first love, and I’m fanatical about them — but I’m a very big fan.

According to reports, I’m wondering if I’m even a fan.

Tickets are going for as much as $10,000, topping what some people paid for Super Bowl seats. John Calipari was on ESPN, and he said Bruce Pearl even called him to ask for a few.

“He was begging me for tickets,” Calipari said Tuesday. “And I told him no.”

Calipari was joking, of course, but he never passes a chance to take a swipe at the Volunteers. On Saturday, the No. 1 Tigers face No. 2 Tennessee in Memphis, the first time since 1998 the nation’s top two teams from the same state play each other.

And everyone wants to come.

Calipari said Pearl was asking for Tennessee alum and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, among others. Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson granted the request, Calipari said, but he just wanted to make Pearl sweat.

To be fair, this is Memphis, which isn’t exactly the capital of the U.S. for hot sports team. Now that I’ve been fair, if these fans are spending that much on those tickets, they’re clearly a bit crazy.