Ohio State football was on a crash course for the Big Ten Championship and then, even if it lost, the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff. Well, that last week loss to Michigan dropped the Buckeyes No. 8.
They will have a much more difficult route to reach the CFP National Championship, and to start, they will have to run through the Tennessee Volunteers, one of the best teams in the SEC.
The Vols should give Ohio State a run for its money, and the sportsbooks think that as well. The Buckeyes opened up as the slimmest first-round favorite.
Projected point spreads for @CFBPlayoff 1st round games via @_Collin1
Texas -14½ Clemson
Ohio State -6 Tennessee
Penn State -9 SMU
Notre Dame -8½ Indiana— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 8, 2024
Every home side is favored, which certainly is no surprise. Tennessee is the highest-ranked side of the underdogs, so it should, in theory, have the smallest spread.
That said, the Buckeyes went 4-4 against the spread at Ohio Stadium throughout the season. They didn’t close a single game at home as a single-digit favorite, so this caliber of opponent has yet to come to Columbus this season.
