Tennessee Vols will have an under-the-radar advantage against the Ohio State Buckeyes in College Football Playoff
There's a small advantage the Tennessee Vols will have against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Tennessee is set to play Ohio State in Columbus on December 21 at 8:00 PM ET. Night games are nothing new for the Volunteers. Tennessee has played in eight prime time games […]
There's a small advantage the Tennessee Vols will have against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Tennessee is set to play Ohio State in Columbus on December 21 at 8:00 PM ET.
Night games are nothing new for the Volunteers. Tennessee has played in eight prime time games this season, including three road games (Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Georgia) and a neutral site game (against NC State in Charlotte).
Ohio State, meanwhile, has played in just two primetime games this season — at home against Western Michigan and at Michigan State (the Buckeyes' road game against Oregon in early October kicked off at 4:30 PM PT).
Playing in night games can be challenging for players, but not just because of the atmosphere.
Numerous players and coaches over the years, including a Tennessee player this season, have talked about how it can be difficult to sit around all day waiting to play. A lot of players (perhaps the majority) prefer to wake up and play early instead of killing time for eight or nine hours.
"I'm tired of these night games," said Vols wide receiver Dont'e Thornton earlier this season. "Every game this season has been a night game — except for the first game of the season."
"Being in the hotel (all day) is the worst part," added Thornton. "Because you wake up with a bunch of energy and then it slowly dies down. And then you gotta try to find it again before the game starts."
Tennessee should have a better sense of how to handle the anxiety of waiting all day to play than Ohio State. The Vols have essentially been doing this all season — they should have a firm grasp by now on how to stay calm throughout the day without getting too amped. In contrast, the Buckeyes won’t have the same season-long experience to draw on.
Will it make a difference in the game?
It’s hard to say. But in what’s expected to be a highly competitive matchup, it’s at least a factor that works in Tennessee’s favor more than Ohio State’s.
