Tennessee Volunteers fans are pulling out all the stops to unsettle Ohio State ahead of their highly anticipated first-round College Football Playoff matchup tomorrow night at the Horseshoe.
It’s been one of the biggest stories in college football all week long. In an effort to neutralize the Buckeyes’ home-field advantage, Tennessee fans have made a concerted push to secure tickets for the game.
According to reports, ticket vendors have seen significant sales to Vols fans.
SeatGeek disclosed that 42% of tickets for the matchup were purchased by Tennessee residents, while StubHub reported a similar trend, with 37% of tickets sold to Tennessee fans compared to 34% purchased by Ohioans.
The fan-driven mind games extended to digital platforms.
Social media users noticed that someone had renamed Ohio Stadium to “Neyland North” on Apple Maps, a clear nod to Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.
Adding to the pre-game buzz, Tennessee President Randy Boyd stoked the excitement with a bold prediction.
Sharing a photo alongside Ohio State President Ted Carter, Boyd claimed that Vols fans could make up a sizable contingent in the stadium.
“He thinks the stadium may be 30% orange – way to go Vol fans!” Boyd wrote. “First game ever played at Ohio Stadium in the month of December, and likely the first below freezing game the Vols have played in decades! Going to be a great game!”
Despite frigid conditions forecasted for Columbus – temperatures are expected to dip into the low 20s and feel as cold as 16 degrees with heavy wind and rain – Tennessee fans appear undeterred.
Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel dismissed concerns about the weather’s impact on his team.
“Yeah, it’s a June day in South Dakota. It’s going to be great football weather,” Heupel said. “A couple weeks ago, we played in 30-degree weather. We practice in the morning – it’s still chill, as cold as it will be around this area.
“At the end of the day, you get between the white lines, the weather doesn’t matter. The temperature doesn’t. We’ll be ready to go play. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Ohio State, meanwhile, is rallying its fans to “Scarlet The Shoe,” encouraging supporters to don scarlet attire to counter Tennessee’s “orange invasion.”
The Buckeyes will wear their scarlet Color Rush uniforms for the contest, hoping to make their presence felt both on and off the field.
The do-or-die showdown will kick off tomorrow night at 8pm EST.
Interestingly, some “experts” are picking Tennessee to pull off the upset due in large part to the fact that they are built similar to a traditional Michigan team.
What are your thoughts on the matchup? … Will the Vols shock the Buckeyes and potentially end Ryan Day’s Ohio State tenure?
As for the crowd, what percentage of the stadium do you think will be wearing orange???
