The inaugural College Football Playoff is finally here as the first round kicks off this weekend. Rounding out an awesome slate of games is the lone SEC vs Big Ten matchup. The 10-2 Tennessee Volunteers head to Columbus to take on the 10-2 Ohio State Buckeyes at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. Two powerhouse programs meeting up in the middle of December for a playoff game on campus? We could have only dreamed of this moment just a few years ago. Let’s take a look at this College Football Playoff: Tennessee at Ohio State Preview and Best Bets!
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#8 Seed Ohio State Buckeyes
Fresh off a crushing loss to their rival the Michigan Wolverines to end the season, the #8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes look to right the ship. No one has more to prove than their head coach Ryan Day. Despite boasting an impressive 66-10 record in his time as Ohio State head coach, Day has now lost four straight games to their rivals in Ann Arbor. The good news for the Buckeye’s ball coach? Michigan didn’t make the College Football Playoff and he is really good at beating everyone else.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are led by their Senior QB Will Howard who transferred in from Kansas State this offseason. As always, they have an elite WR room, plus a two headed monster backfield with a massive offensive line. However, unlike most years, this team is not relying on their passing offense to simply over power the other team. In fact, they only have one game this season in which Howard threw for over 300 yards. Instead, the Buckeyes are relying on their running game led by two elite backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and one of the best defenses in the country.
Despite their late season blemish, the 10-2 Buckeyes still present an impressive resume. They handled two Top 5 teams in the country, in Indiana and Penn State, with relative ease. Their only other loss came on the road against the number one team in the country as they fell 32-31 to Oregon in Autzen. Even in that game Ohio State had a real chance to win it on the last drive and came up just short. The loss to the 7-5 Michigan Wolverines at home to end the year was bad, but this is not a fair representation of this team. The other eleven games on their schedule prove that they’re one of the few elite teams in college football.
#9 Seed Tennessee Volunteers
Good ol’ Rocky Top! The Tennessee Volunteers are in the College Football Playoff with an impressive 10-2 record out of the SEC. The Volunteers are led by their redshirt Freshman 6’6″ QB Nico Iamaleava and their fiery head coach Josh Heupel. As is typical in the Heupel era, Tennessee boasts an impressive offense that aims to run more plays than you and tire you out in the process. With this spread out vertical passing game offense, it requires a talented WR room, and the Vols have just that. They have three WRs 6’3″ or taller who have all contributed over 300 receiving yards to the offense.
Two things that separate this team from previous years are an elite running back and exceptional defense. Although the passing game brings the flashiness, the offense is really centered around their Junior RB Dylan Sampson. Sampson is quite simply one of the best backs in the country. In only two games this season did he fail to rush for over 100 yards and he has an unbelievable 22 rushing touchdowns. Tennessee’s defense is equally impressive as they are allowing less than 14 points a game and under 300 yards of total offense. Both of these are simply a rarity in college football today. This combination of an elite running game and defense makes this Volunteers team one of the toughest tests in the country.
College Football Playoff: Tennessee at Ohio State Preview and Best Bets
Ohio State -7.5 (-105)
Despite an amazing matchup on paper, there has to be a winner, and I am riding with the home team. This is a prime time matchup where we have a Freshman QB traveling up to the Horseshoe in front of 102,000 fans. On the other side is a veteran Senior QB with five years of college football experience and has played in big games before. Getting past the QBs, I simply believe Ohio State is the much better team who has proved they can compete with high level competition.
Tennessee’s best win is a 9-3 Alabama team that was the worst Bama teams we have seen in a decade. A seven point win at home over an Alabama team that got beat 24-3 by a bad Oklahoma team does not move the needle for me. Tennessee has also struggled on the road this season, picking up both of their losses in hostile environments. In fact, the Volunteers have only played four road games this season, going a mediocre 2-2.
Give me the Ohio State Buckeyes to right the ship Saturday night and smother the Tennessee Volunteers to wrap up round one of the College Football Playoff. I expect this to be a close game in the first half but a costly turnover from the Freshman QB will allow the Buckeyes to pull ahead. Ryan Day saves his job and Ohio State rolls.
Under 47 (-110)
Both of these teams are led by their defense and rushing attacks. On a crisp 28 degree night, the pads are going to remind us what playoff football is all about. Ohio State provides the number one defense in the country, giving up less than 11 points per game and 242 total yards per game. Tennessee is no slouch as their defense gives up less than two touchdowns on average and under 300 total yards.
Did I mention that Tennessee has a Freshman QB making only his fifth career collegiate road start? The lack of experience and rowdy environments have led to Tennessee having some of their worst offensive performances away from Neyland Stadium. Neither QB has been able to consistently put up points against top tier competition this season, despite their first class WR rooms. Expect both these QBs to be in more of a game manager role in this one as they will lean on their backs to try and chip away at these defenses.
Injuries are another reason to believe points will be at a premium in this matchup. On the Ohio State side, their offensive line has suffered some major blows over the past few months. Both starting C Seth McLaughlin and OT Josh Simmons had their seasons cut short by injury. Both are projected first round picks and arguably some of the best players in the nation at their positions. On the Tennessee side, all three of their top WRs left their last game with some type of injury. They are all practicing in some capacity this week but there’s a chance they’re not at 100% health for Saturday. Two of the best defenses in the country in a primetime cold matchup in the playoffs… I LOVE the Under 47 in this game.
