How To Watch Ohio State vs. Tennessee: Winner Faces Oregon Ducks In Rose Bowl

How to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Winner plays the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. The entire ESPN College GameDay crew picked Ohio State to beat Tennessee, except for Kirk Herbstreit, who will be calling the game. Preview, betting odds for when the Buckeyes host the Vols at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day waits to take the field before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes host the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Kickoff is at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC.

The winner plays the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in the inagural 12-team College Football Playoff. The Ducks have been practicing this week in preparation for either team, according to coach Dan Lanning.

The entire ESPN College GameDay crew picked Ohio State to beat Tennessee, except for Kirk Herbstreit who didn't pick, because he will be calling the game.

Both Ohio State and Tennessee have a 10-2 record. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day looks to help rebound his team after their Big Ten regular season finale defeat to rival Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State loss 13-10 to Michigan. Meanwhile, Tennessee is fresh off a 36-23 victory over their in-state rival, Vanderbilt in its final SEC regular season game.

Nov 16, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Buckeyes are led by quarterback Will Howard who has an impressive 72.3 percent completion rate for 2,860 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.

A standout statistic for Ohio State: The Buckeyes rank 15th-best in scoring offense (35.5 points per game) and in scoring defense (10.9 points allowed per game) in the FBS.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has had a solid season with a 65.7 percent completion rate, totaling 2,512 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Volunteers have been dominant on both sides of the ball this season too: averaging 37.3 points per game (ranking 8th in the country) and allowing only 13.9 points per game (ranking 4th best in the country).

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day waits to take the field before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How to Watch:

Kickoff between Ohio State and Tennessee is at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC.

Betting Odds: Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite at home and the over/under is 46.5.

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Early Preview: The Ducks remain the only undeated team in the nation. Oregon narrowly beat Ohio State on Oct. 12 so the Buckeyes might have a taste of revenge in their mouths if they face Oregon again.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel has broken multiple FBS records this season. Gabriel's start in the Big Ten Championship Game was the 62nd of his career, passing former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix for the FBS record for starts by a quarterback.

Gabriel is the NCAA all-time leader in total touchdowns (183) while ranking second in passing touchdowns (153), passing yards (18,423) and total yards (19,675).

Gabriel led Oregon to the Big Ten title in its first year in the conference with a season-high four touchdown passes against No. 3 Penn State in the conference championship game.

Dec 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel poses for a photo during a press conference before the 2024 Heisman Trophy Presentation. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Final Word: What has the Oregon team been focused on since the Big Ten Championship?

"We're kind of prepping for both (teams)," Lanning said. "Really the first week we focused on us and did a really deep dive into us and who we are and what we've done well, what we can improve. And then really this week we're working on a little bit of both. Tennessee and Ohio State."

What has been the biggest advantage of having the first-round bye in the College Football Playoff?

Yeah, recovery. It's been a big piece," Lanning said. "We've been able to kind of distribute our practices a little bit differently than we would during a normal game week. More of like a three-day on, day off model. More recoveries and lifts. You know, opportunities to take advantage of the weight room as well. And then just really studying ourselves. You know, you can do a lot deeper dive when you have a little bit more time."

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