If the Tennessee Vols are going to hoist the national championship trophy at the end of the 2024 season, they'll first need to win a tough first-round College Football Playoff game on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Vols and the Buckeyes will face off on December 21 in what's expected to be a cold and rowdy atmosphere. 

Plenty of Tennessee fans are planning to make the trip to Columbus, but the crowd, obviously, will be predominately made up of Ohio State fans. 

There's been a lot of back and forth over the last few days about how elite the atmosphere is at Ohio State. Some have suggested that it doesn't compare to what fans see in the SEC on a weekly basis, while others think the horseshoe is as good as it gets in college football. 

Vols backup quarterbacks Gaston Moore and Jake Merklinger made it clear this week on The Players Lounge – Tennessee that they're expecting a tremendous atmosphere in Columbus. 

Moore and Merklinger also referenced how Vols head coach Josh Heupel feels about the environment at Ohio State. 

"It's going to be super exciting," said Merklinger of playing at Ohio State. "They've got what, 102,000? They seat 102,000, right? A night game there, going to be cold, too. "

"They've got one of the best, like Coach Heup said, they've got one of the best places in the country," noted Moore. 

"It's going to be electric, I'm super excited for it," added Merklinger. 

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It's clear that Tennessee's players and coaches have a lot of respect for the horseshoe — they're obviously not taking Ohio State's environment lightly. 

I'm sure the Vols are hoping for a subdued crowd, but they're preparing for (and expecting) an elite atmosphere in Columbus next Saturday night. 

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