Saturday night in the Horseshoe in Columbus is the most anticipated of the 4 1st round CFP games. Some of the most obnoxious, toxic fans in the sport will be represented as Tennessee and Ohio State square off on a cold Saturday night. Ohio State’s offseason national champions disappointed by losing 2 games and not appearing in the B1G championship game, and Tennessee lost to a very mediocre Arkansas team in Fayetteville and a fired up Georgia team in Athens. This game has all of the makings of a great 4 quarter game. Let’s get to the preview.
Series Record: Tennessee leads 1-0.
Last Meeting: Tennessee beat Ohio State 20-14 in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. Ohio State with Heisman winner Eddie George only generates 89 yards of rushing against John Chavis’s Tennessee defense, who has a +3 turnover margin. Peyton Manning has a pedestrian game while Jay Graham runs for 154 yards and is named the game’s most outstanding player. As a result, Tennessee finishes the season in the top 3 in both polls.
Gambling Degenerate Facts: The Harrah’s sports book at the Venetian has Ohio State as a 7.5 favorite with a money line of -278 and a point total of 47.
How Should a Refugee Watch This Game: I’m guessing there are some readers here that are going to pull for Tennessee to win in Columbus whether that’s because of SEC vs. B1G, Southerners vs. Yankees, Bobby Hill over Just for Men, etc. I’m guessing the only Dawg fans who want Ohio State to win are those in the Chattanooga area around Ringgold (Moe Pritchett, looking at you, sir). A lot of us including myself feel like Hope does here:
Interesting Statistic: Tennessee 29.52% Ohio State – 33.73% defensive 3rd down conversion
Given the stoutness of both defenses throughout the season (both only allowed 30+ points once this season to Georgia and Oregon, respectively), I would assume there will be a lot of 3rd downs. The team that gets into 3rd and manageable more often and converts will be the likely winner.
Early Outlook
Yes, it’s going to be cold. In this game, I don’t believe this is going to be a big difference maker as Ohio State has not been built to play outdoor games in December and Tennessee players deal with offseason cold during the winter. I may be wrong about this, but this just doesn’t seem to be the huge difference maker in this game.
Without turnovers or special teams play, I don’t see this game getting out of the 20s. At quarterback, I’m not a big fan of Will Howard. He just doesn’t appear to be the type of player who can put the Buckeyes on his shoulders and will them to victory as other anOSU QBs have done recently. Nico I is going to be playing in the biggest game of his young career, but once again, he hasn’t been the world beater everyone thought he was going to be stepping in for Joe Milton.
At the line of scrimmage, I really like the defensive line of the Vols against the offensive line of the Bucks. If they play well, there are going to be havoc plays available to them. Will they create something for Tennessee?
I’ve gone with favorites up until now. Give me the Vols in a straight-up upset at +222 (I haven’t bet on them). If this happens, will the Just for Men spokescoach be employed in Columbus on Sunday morning?
I still am rooting for this outcome on Saturday night.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Fuck both Those Mother Fuckers!
Amen
We are gonna say big urunge kuntry football has been involved in numerous meteor events, does that type of celebrity, install Lulu & Junior the official “meteor couple”, knowing their first true love, is a couple dozen “Hot n Fresh” togo on date night….
tOSU like most BX teams choke. Gimme the Vols and watch Day be fired in the tunnel post game.
Ummm…the UGA Eagles post appears locked from comments…?
I like the Vols as well, but not enough to bet the ML. The OSU AD seems like he was trying to get his fans motivated with the whole “how come the CFP gets to play Rocky Top at our stadium?” complaint, but it won’t be enough. I like the Buckeyes to drive for a game-winning FG late.
And miss wide left? 😜
Just bet the under, don’t worry about who wins.
The DAWGS will handle whoever wins, so don’t worry.
GO DAWGS
Might be a good call there.
You can’t spell citrus without UT.
WW, I want to thank you for being “all things Dawg” plus being a DGD. I also thank you for shouting out my north Georgia heritage. That said, I would be remiss should I not point out the fact that while I work in Knoxville on occasion and enjoy some of the local eateries therein ( Scrambled Jakes is a fine breakfast spot if you ever find yourself in the west Knox/Farragut area) I revel at being on Rocky Top and paying for a meal using a power G debit card.
I have a great aversion to the color orange. All things orange whether it be the Hogtown shade, the colors worn by Clems Sons, or by the wartiglesplainsmen or the newer putrid burnt orange in Austin. The fact I live near the northern border of our sacred state of Georgia, in no way aligns me with the natures of the inbred natives of Toothnation. In fact, living so close to these infidels has created within me a genuine loathing. I once entertained the thought of throwing a beloved aged uncle from a second story balcony when discussing the failures of the vawl athletic department soured; the ensuing decade plus from 2008 has been most glorious. No, my friend, I am no fan of the abomination on the river, of which name I will not speak or spell correctly; tennercee. . The only team I may hate more than the orange clad meth masses, might be the other ut. As far as this upcoming game, I find it to be the websters definition of a meteor game. I have perhaps as much detestation for tOSU and anything B10 as well. And even though I think 10Rc may win this one, at the end of the day and always, Fuuuck tennecee.
and by the way, I live much closer to Chatsworth, north Murray than I do Ringgold. I just had an office in Ringgold for a while.
GO Dawgs! GATA!
Can’t stand either team and would love nothing more than a 6-5 stinker with over 200 yards of penalties, 8 turnovers, and several ejections. But in the end, I guess I’d rather see Tennessee win just so those damned Yankees won’t have anything to crow about.
We’ll take care of the toothless nation next fall, as usual.
Outstanding analysis. Personally I’m not as fond of either team as you. I hope the game is stopped and the refs walk off in disgust. Double forfeit if possible if not UT awarded the win with final score 3-0.
Pretty sure that ’96 Citrus Bowl gave us that old Spurrier chestnut, “You cain’t spell Citrus without U T.”
Last week I attended a Christmas party and was discussing the playoffs with a friend and fellow Dawg fan. When he brought up the 1st round matchups, I said that most were meteor games for me. He had never heard the term!
How could this be? A 50+ year old son of the south (specifically Austell) had never heard the term “meteor game?” He might as well have never heard of “munsoning!”
I regaled him with the definition and myriad examples of meteor games. Bama/Auburn. Ohio State/Michigan. Florida/anybody. I shared how the disgust for another team, its fan base, or its putrid choice of jersey colors could be summed up with this elegant phrase when they faced off against another such scourge. To not have such a term at one’s disposal was to not have happiness paired with wit!
Nobody sees an actual meteor, but that is no sign that there no meteor games. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
He was delighted like a child on Christmas morn!
How wonderful! How exquisite! That such a phrase must exist in our world! Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond…and of a meteor plowing into a small college town.
Is it all real?
Ah, yes Dawg Fan, there is a meteor game! In all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, the term “meteor game” will continue to make glad the heart of Dawghood.
Merry Christmas!
Clearly he’s not a serious CFB fan.
Nothing sucks like a big orange fan base. I would give tOSU fans credit where due. They might wear not orange but they’re really obnoxious with an overinflated self worth which is only exceeded by their enormous egos. This is definitely the meteor game of the day.