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The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is almost here. The regular season is done, conference champions have been crowned, and the field is set. This is a major change in college football that fans have been excited about, and on December 20th, the playoff will get underway. Things will start with first-round games being on the campus of the higher-seeded teams. This is the first time that playoff games will be played on campus, and one of them will be at Ohio Stadium, as Ohio State will be hosting the Tennessee football team.
Both the Buckeyes and the Volunteers are sitting at 10-2, and they did enough to make the playoff, but both teams are feeling very differently coming into this game. This is a win for Tennessee as this has been a successful year, but Ohio State has not met expectations, and they are coming off of one of the worst losses in program history as they ended the regular season with a loss to 6-5 Michigan at home as 20-point favorites.
Before we talk more about this Tennessee football team and their potential playoff run, let's take a deeper look at both the Buckeyes and the Volunteers.
Ohio State has already failed to accomplish 2/3 of their goals
The Ohio State football team came into their game against Michigan in 2023, ranked #2 in the country, and they were 11-0. Michigan was ranked #3, and they were also 11-0. The Buckeyes had lost two in a row against the Wolverines, and Michigan was without head coach Jim Harbaugh for the game. Ohio State was in a good position to beat their rival, win the Big Ten, and win a national championship. We know what happened next.
Michigan beat Ohio State in 2023 and went on to win it all. The Wolverines lost just about their entire team from a player and coach standpoint after, while the Buckeyes reloaded and got even stronger in the transfer portal. They built a national title or bust squad.
The goals were simple this year: Beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, win it all. The Buckeyes had everything in front of them, and then they suffered a disastrous loss to the Wolverines, and they missed out on a Big Ten title. This super team has not delivered, but if they can achieve that final goal, Ohio State football fans will feel a whole lot better about missing the other two.
The College Football Playoff expansion helps teams like Tennessee
The Tennessee football team had a lot of good years in the four-team College Football Playoff era, but they were never good enough to make the playoffs. The Volunteers had a very similar season this year compared to their best years in the four-team playoff era, and now they can qualify.
Tennessee didn't do anything special this season, but they did enough to get into the playoff, and right now, that's all that matters. Now, they need to find a way to get over the hump because they will need to go on quite a run if they are going to win it all.
If the Volunteers are going to make it past the first round, they are going to need to overcome a big obstacle.
Both losses for Tennessee came on the road
The Tennessee football team lost both of their games this season on the road. They went down against Arkansas, and they lost to Georgia, both away from home. The Volunteers will begin their College Football Playoff journey on the road in Columbus against Ohio State, and the game will be under the lights. This is going to be a tough environment, similar to the ones that the Volunteers have struggled in.
Ohio Stadium is not an easy place to play, and it will make getting this win a lot harder for Tennessee. The Volunteers will have to play a very good game to get it done, and they can't let the road environment affect their execution.
Tennessee and Ohio State will kick off at 8:00 ET from Ohio Stadium in Columbus on December 21st, and the game will be airing on ABC/ESPN. The Buckeyes are currently favored by 7.5 points.
College Football Playoff preview
December 20th is when the College Football Playoff will officially get underway, and this one is going to be a lot of fun. The playoff has expanded from four teams to 12, so that means we get more football and a longer season. Let's take a look at what the playoffs will look like this year.
The first game of the College Football Playoff will go down on a Friday night in South Bend, Indiana, as seven-seed Notre Dame will be hosting 10-seed Indiana. The battle for the Hoosier state. Both of these teams are sitting at 11-1, and the Fighting Irish are favored by 7.5 points. This one will kick off at 8:00 ET, and the game will be airing on ABC/ESPN.
There is just one game on Friday night, and then six-seed Penn State and 11-seed SMU will kick off the Saturday slate. This one will kick off at noon ET, and the game will be airing on TNT and streaming on Max.
The afternoon game on the 21st will feature five-seed Texas and 12-seed Clemson. The Tigers will be hitting the road to take on the Longhorns, and they are big underdogs. This game will kick off at 4:00 ET, and it will be airing on TNT and streaming on Max. Texas is favored by 11 points.
The final game of the first round will take place under the lights in Columbus, as it will be this matchup that we have already discussed between nine-seed Tennessee and eight-seed Ohio State. It's going to be a good one.
We have four other teams that have not been discussed yet as the top four seeds received byes into the quarterfinals. One seed, Oregon, will play the winner of Tennessee and Ohio State on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl. Two-seed Georgia will play the winner of Notre Dame and Indiana on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl. Three-seed Boise State will play the winner of Penn State and SMU on New Year's Eve in the Fiesta Bowl. Lastly, four-seed Arizona State will play the winner of Clemson and Texas on New Year's Day in the Peach Bowl.
This is a College Football Playoff format that we have never seen before, and it is going to be a fun one.
