by Rod Pearson
Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 21, 2024
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Where to Watch: ESPN, ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Tennessee +7.5, OSU -7.5; Over/Under: 46.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Tennessee +7.5, OSU -7.5; Over/Under: 47 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Tennessee +7.5, OSU -7.5; Over/Under: 46.5 points
Season Record
Tennessee Volunteers: 10-2 (6-2) (3rd place, SEC)
Ohio State Buckeyes: 10-2 (7-2) (4th place, Big Ten)
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Recent Form
Tennessee Volunteers: won their last game on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores 36-23.
Ohio State Buckeyes: lost their last game at home against the Michigan Wolverines 13-10.
Tennessee Volunteers vs Ohio State Buckeyes Preview and Analysis
Tennessee is entering this game with a 10-2 record overall and they have a 6-2 record in their conference games too. They are 7-0 in their home games, 2-2 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Vanderbilt 36-23. Nico Iamaleava was the starting QB and he completed 18/26 passes for 257 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Dylan Sampson led the team in rushing yards with 178. Dont'e Thornton Jr. led the receivers with 118 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 2 TDs. Jermod McCoy led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Jaxson Moi led the defense in sacks with 1. Jermod McCoy came away with the only interception for them in that one.
Ohio State is entering this game with a 10-2 record overall and they have a 7-2 record in their conference games too. They are 7-1 in their home games, 3-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Michigan 13-10. Will Howard was the starting QB and he completed 19/33 passes for 175 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Quinshon Judkins led the team in rushing yards with 46. Carnell Tate led the receivers with 58 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Caleb Downs led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. Caleb Downs and Jack Sawyer each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
Tennessee vs Ohio State Prediction
The current betting odds have Ohio State listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Ohio State has looked really good in their games this season with their 10-2 record overall and their 7-2 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They didn't finish the season well though as they had a chance to make the Big Ten Championship, but a loss to Michigan in their season finale kept them out of that game. That was a really painful loss for them and it also came on their home field, but they will be looking to bounce back in a big way and show that they are still good enough to win a National Championship. Meanwhile, Tennessee has looked really good in their games this season with their 10-2 record overall and their 6-2 conference record which has them right near the top of the SEC, but they also missed out on the SEC Championship. They looked good in their season finale as they crushed Vanderbilt and their defense has looked great all season, not giving up many yards or points in their games all year, but their offense has also been really up and down this year and that is going to be an issue for them in these playoffs. Ohio State also has a really good defense and they have the home advantage here so that takes away any edge Tennessee had on defense, and Ohio State has the much better offense to lean on too. Ohio State hasn't had a chance to play a game since that loss to Michigan either so they will be looking to take their frustrations out in this game and won't take their foot off the gas once they pull ahead. Tennessee isn't built to come back from behind with the way their offense has played this season too. The best way to place a bet here is on Ohio State to cover the spread in this game.
Tennessee Ohio State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 21, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Ohio State 24 Tennessee 14.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Tennessee Volunteers: 0-3 ATS as a road underdog. 4-7 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 250 or more passing yards/game. 4-0 OVER when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 9-5 OVER in non-conference games.
Ohio State Buckeyes: 9-5 ATS vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 10+ PPG on the season. 10-3 ATS vs. good defensive teams who give up 17 or less points/game. 9-4 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 310 yards/game or less. 6-2 OVER after a 2 game home stand. 7-3 OVER versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or less.
Key Injuries
Tennessee Volunteers: P. Lewis (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. McCoy (WR) Questionable - Lower Body. J. Ross (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Charles (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. C. Harrison (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. V. Lang (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Pili (LB) Out - Knee. J. Thomas (DB) Out - Knee.
Ohio State Buckeyes: J. Middleton (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Melton (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. Kacmarek (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Stocksdale (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Baudo (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. Z. Michalski (OL) Questionable - Lower Body. S. McLaughlin (OL) Out - Achilles. J. Simmons (OL) Out - Knee. T. Caffey (RB) Out - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“Finishing the way that we needed to and that we wanted to always is sweet, and these guys earned the right for this to be a big game. They went out, they took it.” - Josh Heupel after his team’s win against Vandy in their regular season finale.
“We're very disappointed, and never thought this would happen right here. We expected to win this game and go play in the Big Ten championship game.” - Ryan Day after his team’s loss against Michigan in their regular season finale.
Starting Lineups
Tennessee Volunteers
WR McCoy, Bru
WR Brazzell II, Chris
WR White, Squirrel
TE Kitselman, Miles
QB Iamaleava, Nico
RB Sampson, Dylan
FB Harrison, Cole
Ohio State Buckeyes
WR Smith, Jeremiah
WR Tate, Carnell
WR Egbuka, Emeka
TE Scott Jr., Gee
QB Howard, Will
RB Henderson, TreVeyon
Statistical Leaders
Tennessee Volunteers
Passing: N. Iamaleava (2502)
Rushing: D. Sampson (1485)
Receiving: D. Thornton (647)
Touchdowns: D. Sampson (22)
Ohio State Buckeyes
Passing: W. Howard (2860)
Rushing: Q. Judkins (805)
Receiving: J. Smith (934)
Touchdowns: J. Smith (11)
Coaches:
Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (4th season)
Ohio State Buckeyes: Ryan Day (7th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
