By Danielle Daniels

Ryan Day OSU head coach Part 2 On CFP opponent Tennessee Volunteers December 2024.mp3

FIRST AND TEN

• Ohio State University, the No. 6 ranked team in the nation by the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches and the No. 8 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoffs, hosts the Tennessee Volunteers, ranked 7th in both polls and the No. 9 seed in the CFP, in an 8:10 p.m., first-round CFP game Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
• The winner advances to play No. 1 and undefeated Oregon Jan. 1 at 5:10 EST at the Rose Bowl in the CFP quarterfinals.
• This first game at Ohio Stadium in the month of December for Ohio State is the last of the four CFP first-round games after Indiana at Notre Dame (Friday at 8 p.m.) and the Saturday afternoon games featuring SMU at Penn State (noon) and Clemson at Texas (4 p.m.).
• ESPN/ABC will be back in Columbus broadcasting nationally for the first time since the 2022 season when the network carried Ohio State wins over Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
• This is only the second meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. Tennessee defeated Ohio State, 20-14, at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando following the 1995 regular season.
• Please dress warmly. The forecast calls for a game-day high of 28 degrees and a low of 20.

BY THE NUMBERS
12-8: Ohio State has an all-time record of 12-8 in games played in the month of December. The Buckeyes are 10-8 in neutral field games and 2-0 in road games (wins in 1891 at Akron and 2020 at Michigan State).

SEC: Ohio State has home-and-home football series scheduled against Texas in 2025-26, Alabama in 2027-28 and Georgia in 2030-31. Ohio State and Texas kick off the 2025 season Aug. 30 in Ohio Stadium.

4 of 6: Ohio State is making its fourth College Football Playoff appearance since 2019 under Ryan Day. No other school has been to four of the last six CFPs. Georgia and Clemson have been to three apiece.

31st: Ohio State has now had 31 10-win-or-more seasons in school history, fourth-most in major college football history. Head coach Ryan Day has coached five such seasons in this, his sixth season as coach.

OHIO STATE VS. TENNESSEE

• The only time these two teams have played was at the 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando on a 70-degree, gray day that had bouts of heavy rain.
• Tennessee won, 20-14, behind two fourth quarter field goals and the rushing of Jay Graham, the game’s MVP with 154 yards and one touchdown.
• Stars were everywhere: Peyton Manning, Eddie George, Mike Vrabel, Shawn Springs, Antoine Winfield, Terry Glenn and Ricky Dudley to name a few.

PREGAME AND GAME PUBLICITY

• Ohio State’s Department of Athletics will host a record number of shows on campus Friday and Saturday: ESPN’s College Game Day, BTN Tailgate, SEC Nation, Pat McAfee’s Field Pass and the Scott Van Pelt Show.

WINTERIZATION EFFORTS

• Ohio State has been preparing for a December game at Ohio Stadium ever since the CFP announced it would have first-round playoff sites.
• The Department of Athletics will host the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium in an NHL Stadium Series game this March.
• Efforts to winterize the stadium for these CFP and NHL contests include:
• Repairing and replacing all existing heat trace piping for cold water piping;
• Adding portable heaters to concession stands (96 heaters);
• Continuing the heat trace repair/replace efforts for additional cold water piping and sanitary drops in B, C and D deck;
• Having plumbers – both university and contracted – on standby throughout the week and at the game; and
• Purchasing equipment and having an army of individuals on standby for snow removal.

SIXTH CFP FOR OHIO STATE

• Ohio State is playing in the College Football Playoffs for a sixth time since the start of the CFP era in 2014 and is the only school to appear in four of the last six CFPs.
• Ohio State is No. 3 all-time in CFP appearances, trailing only Alabama (eight appearances) and Clemson (seven).
• Georgia and Oklahoma round out the Top 5 with four appearances apiece.
• Texas, the Southeastern Conference runner-up which hosts Clemson in a first-round game Saturday, is the only team from last year’s CFP to make this year’s field.
• Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoffs in 2014 and is 3-4 all-time in CFP games.

COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS