If the Vols win, fans spend - but maybe not enough to affect our local economy.
Jesse Thomason knows how a big win can sway business.
"You can look at our sales books and every year after the Florida game, is a steady decline in sales," he said of the past 11 seasons UT has lost to the Gators.
Thomason works at HoundDogs in West Knoxville and says business is booming after Saturday's big win.
“Day-in and day-out all we do is back and forth from the stock room to the store finding more stuff to put out, finding stuff to replace stuff you’ve sold out of," he said.
However, Dr. Bill Fox, director of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, says one big win isn't enough to cause an economic change.
"Any one game, okay, you might sell a few shirts," he said. "You might get people to eat out a little bit more that night, but the reality of it is the economic impact of that is small."
He believes what can effect the economy is a big season.
"It’s about creating excitement and getting people wanting to come to Knoxville and spend their money. That’s where we get the economic impact," he said.
While he says it's not enough to fully impact the economy, Thomason does understand how it can help some local businesses.
“What we have is an upbeat group of people who are going to be more anxious to spend. So it wouldn’t surprise me that you get some economic impact," he said. "In the end though, you and I only have so much money to spend.”
Fox predicts the Vols will finish their season 10-2, which could be enough to cause an economic boost.