Ryan Day is already saying all of the right things about Ohio State’s College Football Playoff game against the Tennessee Vols
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes now know what they need to do to get their desired rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff. The Tennessee Vols stand between Ohio State getting that matchup with Oregon. Oregon defeated Ohio State 32-31 back in October in Eugene. The Buckeyes had a chance to win […]
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes now know what they need to do to get their desired rematch with the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff.
The Tennessee Vols stand between Ohio State getting that matchup with Oregon. Oregon defeated Ohio State 32-31 back in October in Eugene. The Buckeyes had a chance to win that game, but the clock expired while they had the ball on the Oregon side of the field.
Ohio State has to take it one week at a time. Heading into the big matchup with Tennessee, Ryan Day is saying all of the things that you want to hear.
"This was one of the projections that we saw,” Day said of matching up with the Vols. So we've been looking at these guys and a couple of other opponents, but we're fired up. We're obviously excited about playing the first-ever playoff game in Ohio Stadium. Ohio Stadium has been around a long time, over 100 years. There's been a lot of great games, but never a playoff game like this. And so the night game, 8 o'clock, it's gonna be electric. Our guys are gonna be excited about this.
And so as we head into our preparation, it's gonna be on us fast. Two weeks. Getting this first win will be critical in building momentum as you head into the teeth of the playoffs. And when you look at tournament play, you look at playoffs, we all know that that first game is very, very important. So it's not a bowl prep. It's very different. It's a quick turnaround. And all of our focus is on these guys."
Tennessee will head into Columbus with a 10-2 record just like Ohio State. The Vols have losses to Arkansas and Georgia on their resume this season. Ohio State is a -7.5 favorite to win the first-round game, according to ESPN Bet.
This game against Tennessee is a start to a ‘new season’ for the Buckeyes. After losing to Michigan in the final regular season game, the Buckeyes have a chance here to wash that bad feeling away. A win against Tennessee won’t do that alone, but it is the start of a potential run for Ohio State.
The pressure is on Day to bounce back from his fourth straight loss to Michigan. His 66-10 record at Ohio State looks great, but those four losses stick out, as well as falling short in the postseason. Ohio State has every opportunity to go and win it all, though the road is going to be a tough one.
