Tennessee opens as touchdown underdog at Ohio State in first round of College Football Playoff
Tennessee on Sunday afternoon opened as a 7.5-point underdog at Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff, according to FanDuel, with the total set at 47.5. The 12-team bracket was announced on Sunday, with the Vols going on the road on Saturday, December 21 for an 8 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff on ABC and ESPN.
The winner will advance to face No. 1 Oregon in Rose Bowl on January 1, a 5 p.m. Eastern Time start on ABC and ESPN.
The first round will start on Friday, December 20 with No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Noter Dame in an 8 p.m. ET start on ABC and ESPN. The triple header on Saturday will begin with No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State in a Noon ET game and will be followed by No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas in a 4 p.m. start on TNT and streaming on HBO Max.
Tennessee in the College Football Playoff: How To Watch
Start Time: Saturday, December 21, 8 p.m. Eastern Time
TV: ABC/ESPN
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville (Bob Kesling, Pat Ryan, Brent Hubbs, Jayson Swain). The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee Football against the spread this season
Tennessee went 7-5 against the spread during the regular season. The Vols 3-5 against the spread over the final eight games, winning outright as a 3.5-point underdog against Alabama and covering a 41-point line against UTEP and a 10-point spread at Vanderbilt
The season started with four straight covers, against Chattanooga (-39.5), North Carolina State (-8.5), Kent State (-49) and Oklahoma (-5.5). Tennessee failed to cover against Arkansas (-14), Florida (-14), Kentucky (-17.5), Mississippi State (-9) and Georgia (+9).
Ohio State went 6-6 against the spread, ending the regular season with the 13-10 home loss to Michigan as a 19.5-point favorite.
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The Buckeyes covered against Western Michigan (-37.5), Michigan State (-23.5), Iowa (-17), Penn State (-3), Purdue (-37.5) and Indiana (-10.5). They failed to cover against Akron (-48.5), Marshall (-40), Oregon (-3.5), Nebraska (-25) and Northwestern (-28), before the loss to Michigan.
Dates, locations for the 12-team College Football Playoff
The first playoff game will be played on Friday, December 20, ahead of a tripleheader the following day.
The quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1. The semifinals will be played on Thursday, January 9 and Friday, January 10.
There is no re-seeding once the bracket is set. Winners from the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl will advance to play in the Orange Bowl or Cotton Bowl.
The 2025 national championship game will be played on Monday, January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
