What the Ohio State football team can expect from Tennessee
The Ohio State football team takes on Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Here’s what they can expect from the Vols.

The Ohio State football team still has a chance to win a national championship despite the deeply painful loss to TTUN. This is the first time they have made the CFP since 2022. In that season, they lost to Georgia in the Peach Bowl after having lost to Michigan.

This year, they get to play a different SEC team in the CFP. This time, the game will be at home in the Shoe. It’s the first home game in December in the history of the Ohio State Buckeyes.  that is going to give the Buckeyes some problems.

If the Buckeyes are going to win this game, they will have to be willing to change their game plan from what they had against Michigan. That’s especially true with an offensive line that has not played their best. Tennessee’s strongest part of their defense is their defensive line.

The Ohio State football team will have to pass it at an elite level to beat Tennessee

In order for the Ohio State football team to beat the Vols, they have to make sure Tennessee’s defensive line doesn’t cause problems. Ohio State may not be able to run the ball 30 times like they want to. This game very well could be in Will Howard’s hands.

Jeremiah Smith has to get more targets on the outside, as does Emeka Egbuka.Tennessee’s secondary is fine, but it’s not elite. They are certainly susceptible to big plays. With the speed that the Buckeyes possess on the outside, they should be able to gain yards at will.

They won’t be able to do that if they keep trying to run into the teeth of the Vols’ defense. That is a recipe for disaster, just as it was against Michigan. Defensively, Ohio State should be fine. Tennessee has a freshman quarterback who doesn’t light it up through the air. Stop the run, and they should dominate

Ohio State’s offensive line is going to be the difference between a win and the season ending on Saturday night.