The opening weekend of the 12-team College Football Playoff brought little fortune to lower-seeded teams.
The marquee matchup on Saturday featured No. 8 Ohio State hosting No. 9 Tennessee in Columbus, and the Buckeyes delivered a decisive 42-17 victory, sending the Volunteers packing.
Ohio State wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a commanding 21-0 lead in the first quarter.
While Tennessee managed to hold the Buckeyes scoreless in the second quarter and put 10 points on the board before halftime, the second half belonged entirely to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes added two touchdowns in the third quarter and capped their scoring with another in the fourth, making it 42-10.
Tennessee managed a late two-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Nico Iamaleava with just under two minutes left, but it was too little, too late.
On his podcast, college football legend David Pollack analyzed the top playoff games and didn’t hold back on Tennessee’s performance.
“Ohio State absolutely just finishing the night off,” Pollack said. “Just bringing the energy and destroying. I know Tennessee fans showed up and showed out there, but the team didn’t show up as much as the fans did with expectations.”
Before the game, reports indicated that a significant number of Ohio State fans had sold tickets to Tennessee supporters, with some estimating that 42% of the crowd were Vols fans.
Despite their vocal presence, Tennessee鈥檚 players struggled to match the energy brought by their fanbase.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard delivered a stellar performance, passing for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was his go-to target, hauling in six receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground, the Buckeyes showcased a strong rushing attack. TreVeyon Henderson led the way with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Quinshon Judkins also contributed two scores.
Ohio State鈥檚 offense easily outpaced Tennessee’s typically stout defense, which had been among the SEC’s best, allowing just 103.92 rushing yards and 189.3 passing yards per game.
The Buckeyes obliterated those benchmarks, racking up 156 rushing yards and 317 passing yards.
Tennessee’s usually reliable defense was overwhelmed. The Volunteers struggled to contain Ohio State鈥檚 balanced attack, a stark contrast to their strong regular-season performances.
For head coach Josh Heupel and his team, it marked a bitter end to Tennessee鈥檚 first-ever CFP appearance.
Saturday’s contest was only the second-ever meeting between the two powerhouse programs.
Tennessee claimed the first encounter with a 20-14 victory in the 1995 Citrus Bowl, but Ohio State evened the series in dominant fashion this time.
With the win, Ohio State advances to the CFP semifinals and a much-anticipated rematch with No. 1 Oregon, who narrowly defeated the Buckeyes 32-31 earlier this season.
What are your thoughts on Pollack’s comments?
Are you surprised that Tennessee was so overmatched against the Buckeyes???
