Is Ohio State's Reputation in Danger Against Tennessee?

If the Ohio State Buckeyes lose to the Tennessee Volunteers in the College Football Playoff, chaos may ensue.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day prepares to lead his team on the field prior to the NCAA football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for an absolutely critical matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday.

The winner earns a date with the top-ranked Oregon Ducks.

All of this begs the question: is Ohio State's reputation in dangers against Tennessee?

The Buckeyes entered the season widely regarded as the most talented team in the country. Many had them pegged as national title favorites.

And yet, here they are, ranked eighth in the CFP and facing a very difficult matchup with a tough Tennessee squad to open things up.

For all of the talk about how prestigious of a football program Ohio State possesses, it has only won two national championships since the turn of the century. Heck, before winning it all during the 2002-03 campaign, it had not won a title since 1968.

We always hear the Buckeyes mentioned right up there with top schools like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and the like.

Here's the distinction, though: all of those programs have won multiple national championships in recent years. Ohio State hasn't won one in a decade in spite of fielding a bunch of ultra-talented rosters that very well could have beaten everyone in the nation.

It's why there are some who don't exactly take the Buckeyes all that seriously, especially under Ryan Day. Yes, Day boasts a gaudy 66-10 record at Columbus, but he has been unable to consistently win big games.

Ohio State has lost four games in a row to Michigan. It was embarrassed by Missouri in the Cotton Bowl last winter. It then watched as the Wolverines won the national championship.

It has gotten to a point where some have wondered out loud if Day's job is on the line.

Then there are those who have questioned exactly what the Buckeyes' identity is these days. Do they have a true identity? Or are they just a conglomerate of incredibly talented players that just can't seem to get over the hump?

Ohio State could very well rout Tennessee this weekend. It may even go on to defeat Oregon in the very next game. Why stop there? The Buckeyes could go all the way. They certainly have the talent to complete such a run.

But if Ohio State loses to the Volunteers in the first round? A whole bunch of questions are going to surface, and while many of them will probably be ridiculous, some may be valid.

At some point, the Buckeyes need to stop just being a talented team and become a championship team. They haven't done that since January 2015, and they've barely done it the last six decades.

It's time for Ohio State to take care of business, and it starts by slamming the door on Tennessee. Otherwise, the doubters—and the haters—will grow louder and louder.