Expected to be one of the most contentious games in the first round of the College Football Playoff, 9 seed Tennessee will travel to face 8 seed Ohio State on Saturday. This is Tennessee’s CFP debut and Ohio State’s sixth appearance, having won the inaugural CFP title in 2014.
Keep reading for how to watch Saturday’s matchup, a preview, players to watch, betting odds, and the head-to-head record between the two teams.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Ohio State College Football Playoff first round matchup
Ninth-seed Tennessee will face eighth-seed Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC. The game will be played at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
- Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024
- Time: 8:00 PM ET
- Where: Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio
- TV/Streaming: ESPN/ABC
Tennessee vs. Ohio State preview
This is the marquee matchup of the first round. Two relatively equal teams from the Big Ten and SEC on a Saturday night in Columbus — it deserves the billing.
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Ohio State is the favorite thanks in large part to more experience, especially under center from signal-caller Will Howard. Howard has multiple formidable targets, and when he can’t hit one of those, he has two very capable running backs splitting reps on the ground. Before rivalry week, the Buckeyes’ lone loss was on the road to now-No. 1 Oregon, 32-31. Last time out, though, Ryan Day and Co. once again failed to beat Michigan, losing by a touchdown (13-10) to a 7-5 Wolverines squad they were expected to handle easily. Still, Ohio State has been dominant much of the season, beating fellow playoff contenders Penn State (20-13) and Indiana (38-15). The biggest concern is the Buckeyes’ offensive line, which has been reworked since losing left tackle Josh Simmons (ACL) and center Seth McLaughlin (Achilles). More adjustments are coming against Tennessee. Whether that’s enough against a dominant Tennessee defensive line will be the question.
The Vols’ success centers around first-year starter Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava might not have the experience of Howard, but he’s made it work when needed. While Iamaleava and his wideouts try to make some big plays, Tennessee will need an epic performance from running back Dylan Sampson, who has rushed for 100+ yards in all but two games this season (and he was a few plays away from hitting the mark in both). Just like Ohio State, Tennessee has had three weeks to rest and recover ahead of this showdown. This season, the Vols’ two losses came to Arkansas (19-14) in early October and Georgia in mid-November (31-17). Most notably, they upset Alabama (24-17) in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee vs. Ohio State players to watch
Tennessee
- QB: Freshman Nico Iamaleava - A first-year starter, Iamaleava’s confidence has grown throughout the season. He’s accounted for 2,512 yards (65.7% complete rate), 19 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. He’s only thrown one interception since October.
- RB: Junior Dylan Sampson - One of the best running backs in the country this season, Sampson has racked up 1,485 yards and a whopping 22 touchdowns. For Sampson, 100+ yard games are the norm, not the exception.
- WR: Senior Dont’e Thornton Jr. - Thornton is Iamaleava’s top target, reeling in 25 catches for 647 yards and 6 touchdowns. Other key targets for Iamaleava: Senior TE Miles Kitselman and WRs senior Bru McCoy, junior Squirrel White and sophomore Chris Brazzell II. Note that Thornton, McCoy and White are all recovering from injuries and were in non-contact jerseys at practice earlier in the week.
- DL: Junior James Pearce Jr. - The guy who could spell trouble for Ohio State’s Howard, Pearce has 7.5 sacks this season and 1 forced fumble.
- DB: Senior Will Brooks and Sophomore Jermod McCoy - This duo of DBs will have the Buckeyes sweating, with Brooks having 3 interceptions and 1 forced fumble this season and McCoy having 4 interceptions.
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Ohio State
- QB: Senior Will Howard - The Kansas State transfer has been efficient in his season with Ohio State, completing 72.3% of passes for 2,860 yards, 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
- RB: Junior Quinshon Judkins and Senior Treveyon Henderson - Splitting reps for the Buckeyes are Judkins (805 yards, 5.5 yard average, 8 touchdowns) and Henderson (751 yards, 7 yard average, 6 touchdowns).
- WR: Howard has a trio of targets he can choose from, including freshman Jeremiah Smith (934 yards, 10 touchdowns, 16.4 average yards per catch), senior Emeka Egbuka (743 yards, 9 touchdowns, 12.4 average yards per catch) and sophomore Carnell Tate (583 yards, 4 touchdowns, 14.2 average yards per catch).
- DE: Senior JT Tuimoloau - Ohio State’s leader in sacks, Tuimoloau has 6 sacks and 1 forced fumble this season, along with 19 solo tackles.
- CB: Senior Denzel Burke and Junior Davison Igbinosun - Burke and Igbinosun lead a group of seven Buckeye defenders with interceptions this season, with the duo having two each.
Tennessee vs. Ohio State odds
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
- Moneyline: Ohio State (-300), Tennessee (+240)
- Spread: Ohio State (-7.5)
- Over/Under: 46.5 points
The spread opened at Ohio State -7/-238 and has since added the hook at -7.5 and shot up to a market-high of -280 on the OSU moneyline. Tennessee’s ML has improved from +195 at open to +230 at ESPNBet. The initial game total of 46.5 is steadily ticking up and showing 47.5 in some spots.
Read our full betting breakdown of the matchup here.
Tennessee vs. Ohio State head-to-head record
Tennessee and Ohio State have only played one time before — the 1996 Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. In that game, the Vols emerged victorious, beating the Buckeyes, 20-14.
