COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coach Josh Heupel doesn’t much care for the narrative that ninth-seeded Tennessee, with its checkered history over the last 15 years, is content just to have reached the College Football Playoff.
The fourth-year coach knows that mindset won’t work facing a team like No. 8 seed Ohio State, which is in the playoff for the sixth time and has one of the best rosters in the nation.
“If you’re just happy to be there, it’s going to be a quick cup of coffee,” Heupel said.
Ohio State (10-2), a top-five team most of the season, still is reeling from a fourth straight loss to archrival Michigan. A loss to the Volunteers would only add to calls from fans for coach Ryan Day to be fired.
So Ohio State will be seeking redemption in the first-round game Saturday night in the frigid Horseshoe. As quarterback Will Howard put it, it’s a chance to “right the wrongs.”
Day is stressing that the Buckeyes deserve to be here.
“Once you get into the playoffs, it’s a brand-new start,” he said. “And I think that’s what our guys have recognized now, the fact that they’ve earned the opportunity to play in the playoffs.”
Tennessee (10-2) hasn’t won a national championship — or an SEC title, for that matter — since 1998, the year after Peyton Manning left. It got even rougher with the firing of coach Philip Fulmer after the 2008 season, with a string of disappointing seasons, a revolving door of coaches and NCAA violations.
Now the Vols get a shot at a national title thanks to the newly expanded 12-team playoff. The winner of the first-round game will travel to the Rose Bowl to face top-seeded Oregon, which beat Ohio State by a point in a shootout on Oct. 12.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Heupel said of facing the program’s next step. “But now it’s about, ‘What are you going to do with the opportunity?’”
In the trenches
Ohio State has had to reshuffle its offensive line several times in the second half of the season because of injuries.
The Buckeyes lost starting left tackle Josh Simmons against Oregon. His replacement, Zen Michalski, went down the next game. The biggest blow came in late November when Seth McLaughlin, the eventual winner of the Rimington Award given to the nation’s best center, tore an Achilles tendon.
McLaughlin’s absence was conspicuous as Ohio State struggled to run inside against Michigan. Tennessee has one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by end James Pearce Jr., a potential first-round NFL draft pick, and a pair of 300-pounders inside in Bryson Eason and Omari Thomas.
“They’re fifth nationally in both scoring and total defense, the No. 1 third-down defense in the country, No. 1 red-zone defense in the country,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “So we’re playing a formidable defense coming in here.”
Orange invasion?
Tennessee fans have been working hard to get more than the 3,500 tickets allotted to the university for the game at the ‘Shoe.
Running back Dylan Sampson won’t be surprised to see plenty of Tennessee fans for the Volunteers’ first game in the state of Ohio, let alone their first in the historic stadium, and the first played there in the month of December.
“That’s what I expect from Tennessee fans,” Sampson said. “And I can’t wait to get out there and see a whole bunch of orange.”
Heupel expects it, too, based on what he has seen in his four seasons coaching at Tennessee.
“It’s a nice short drive up there, and Christmas is right around the corner,” Heupel said. “It’s a great Christmas present.”
Opportunistic Vols
Tennessee has had a knack for making big plays when backed up inside its 20. The Vols forced turnovers at the goal line or in the end zone four times this season.
All-SEC cornerback Jermod McCoy had an interception in the end zone to help key the win over Alabama and another against Vanderbilt. He has a team-leading four picks on the season.
In the spotlight
The ESPN “College GameDay” crew will visit Columbus for its pregame show leading up to the game. It will be the fifth time this season “GameDay” has been at the site of an Ohio State game and the 63rd time overall — including 25 appearances in Columbus — dating to Sept. 28, 1996.
The show also will be at Notre Dame before the Irish clash with Indiana on Friday night before the drive east to Columbus.
AP’s Teresa M. Walker contributed.
No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)
- Time/TV: 7 p.m. Saturday, ABC/ESPN.
- Line: Ohio State by 7½.
- Series: Tennessee leads 1-0.
Players to watch
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava opened 2024 leading the Vols to a rout of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Now the redshirt freshman will play the biggest game yet, and he’s coming off one of his best performances of the season. Four of Iamaleava’s 11 victories have come against teams ranked at the time of kickoff. He threw for 2,512 yards with 19 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.
Ohio State QB Will Howard will try to get the ball out to freshman WR Jeremiah Smith, who has been tremendous this season. He has 934 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns but wasn’t a factor in the 13-10 loss to Michigan.
Facts & figures
Tennessee beat Ohio State 20-14 in the 1996 Citrus Bowl, the only time these programs have played. … Vols coach Josh Heupel is 30-8 since the start of the 2022 season. Those 30 wins are the most in a three-year stretch since Tennessee won 30 between the 1998 and 2000 seasons. … Tennessee is fourth nationally, giving up 13.9 points and 278.3 total yards per game. The Vols rank eighth in rushing defense (99.6 yards per game) and have allowed 18 offensive touchdowns, third-fewest in the FBS. … They gave up three plays of 40 yards or longer all season, tied for the second-fewest — and trailing only the two such plays allowed by Ohio State. … Howard is one of the most efficient passers in school history. The Kansas State transfer completed 80% of his passes six times this season. For the season, his completion percentage is 72.3%, ranking fourth nationally. … Only two players who started on the Ohio State offensive line in the season opener remain in the lineup. … Ohio State is No. 1 in the country in total defense, allowing 241.1 yards per game. The Buckeyes are second to Texas in pass defense and seventh in run defense.