Ohio
Have Ohio State and Tennessee played before? A rundown of their history ahead of CFP game
Ohio State and Tennessee are football blue bloods with long histories of excellence.
But the Buckeyes and Volunteers, who face off Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff, have played only once.
Ohio State record vs. Tennessee
The Buckeyes and Volunteers played in the 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Ohio State was 11-1 entering the game while Tennessee was 10-1. The teams were both ranked No. 4 nationally heading into the game,
Tennessee won 20-14 in front of 70,797 rain-soaked fans..
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was the Tennessee quarterback and had a relatively quiet day. He threw for only 182 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown.
Ohio State tied the game on a 32-yard pass from Bobby Hoying to tight end Rickey Dudley in the fourth quarter. But Jeff Hall kicked two short field goals for the final points. Volunteers running back Jay Graham ran for 154 yards – 69 on a second-quarter touchdown – to earn MVP honors.
OSU’s Heisman Trophy-winner Eddie George ran for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Did Tennessee cheat against Ohio State?
Don’t be surprised if Eddie George shows up at the Tennessee-Ohio State game with a measuring stick and asking to see the Vols’ cleats.
That’s because at the end of the 1995 season, George’s senior year at Ohio State, the Buckeyes faced Tennessee on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl on a rain-soaked field. The slippery surface led to 19 Vols players opting to wear soccer shoes with cleats longer than the NCAA allowed.
Did the longer cleats make a difference? Who knows, but the sure-footed Vols stopped Ohio State with just over five minutes left on a fourth-and-inches at midfield, with the Buckeyes trailing 17-14. Tennessee held on for a 20-14 victory.
George, who went on to become the Tennessee Titans’ all-time leading rusher and is now the coach at Tennessee State, laughs today when asked about the cleats and the edge the Vols — who admitted to wearing the illegal shoes — tried to gain in that game. But he doesn’t believe the cleats made a difference.
“I would never use that as an excuse. They beat us fair and square,” said George, who rushed for 1,927 yards that season and won the Heisman Trophy. “It was what it was. We’ve talked about it and laughed about it a few times over the years. (Former Vols receiver) Joey Kent was on our (Oilers/Titans) team and I got a chance to talk with him about it. It’s an ongoing joke.”
On that critical fourth down, George never got the chance to make a difference. The Buckeyes were not an option team, but tried to catch the Vols off guard by running an option to get the ball to George on the outside.
Instead, quarterback Bobby Hoying’s errant pitch bounced off the helmet of fullback Matt Calhoun — George’s lead blocker — and was recovered by defensive back Tori Noel.
“It was really hard for us to get going because of the rain,” George said. “Tennessee did a nice job defensively of limiting our explosive runs and passes. They really shut down our run game in the middle.”
−Mike Organ, Nashville Tennessean
When does Ohio State play Tennessee in CFP?
The Buckeyes (10-2) will face Tennessee (10-2) on Saturday, Dec. 21.
What time Ohio State plays Tennessee in CFP
The Buckeyes and Tennessee will play at 8 p.m. Dec. 21.
Where is Ohio State vs. Tennessee?
Ohio State will face Tennessee at Ohio Stadium.
This will be the first game played in December in the 102-year history of the stadium.
Ohio State vs. Tennessee predictions
From Joey Kaufman of The Dispatch:
Ohio State 30, Tennessee 24
The early feeling here is that the Buckeyes recover from a tough loss to rival Michigan and bounce back for the playoff as they did two years ago with a near upset of Georgia, the eventual national champion, in its backyard. Tennessee is formidable with a fast-paced offensive attack led by Dylan Sampson, the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher, but it hasn’t been as explosive as Josh Heupel’s more recent teams with a first-year starting quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman. Look Jim Knowles’ side of the ball to get enough stops in a tight win for Ohio State.
From Rob Oller of The Dispatch:
Ohio State 24, Tennessee 20
Call me a sucker for a good comeback story, and Ohio State coming back from that mess against Michigan would be quite the rally cap moment. Tennessee’s strength is its defensive front — uh-oh — but I have to believe, er, choose to believe that Ryan Day and Chip Kelly have learned their lesson and will throw the ball to set up the run. The No. 8 Buckeyes’ defense will be just good enough to win the day, sending OSU to a rematch against No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
From Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY:
Ohio State over Tennessee
This is the premier pairing of the opening round and a nice barometer of how playoff games could unfold between the best of the best in the Big Ten and SEC. Given two evenly matched teams with similar traits, two factors will make the difference in Ohio State’s favor: homefield advantage and a more credible offense. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has more experience and better skill options. But another big game from Volunteers signal caller Nico Iamaleava could easily shift this game in the opposite direction.
Ohio State CFP predictions
To win the national title, the Buckeyes would need to win four games.
Their quarterfinal vs. Oregon would be at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The semifinals are the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9 and 10. The championship game is in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Here are Dispatch columnist Rob Oller’s predictions for the CFP:
First round:
- Ohio State over Tennessee
- Texas over Clemson
- Penn State over SMU
- Notre Dame over Indiana
Quarterfinals:
- Texas over Arizona State
- Ohio State over Oregon
- Penn State over Boise
- Georgia over Indiana
Semifinals:
- Texas over Ohio State
- Georgia over Penn State
Championship:
Texas over Georgia
Ohio State national title odds
Ohio State is the No. 4 betting favorite to win the CFP title, according to Bet MGM.
The Buckeyes are at +500 to win the national championship. Oregon and Texas, at +350, have the best odds, followed by Georgia at +400.
The Ducks, who handed Ohio State one of its two losses this season in a 32-31 thriller on October 12, are the lone remaining undefeated team in the FBS.
Ohio State vs. Tennessee odds
Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennessee, by BetMGM.
Ohio State vs. Tennessee over/under
The over-under for the Ohio State-Tennessee game is 47.5, per BetMGM.
Ohio State vs. Tennessee tickets
Tickets for the Ohio State Tennessee game range from $263-$1,228.
Ticket prices for the Ohio State vs. Tennessee game in Columbus start at $285 on VividSeats, $271 on StubHub, $263 on Gametime and $291 on Seat Geek.
To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub, VividSeats, Gametime and Seat Geek.
See Ohio State tickets prices for playoff game
When do Ohio State CFP tickets go on sale to the public?
General public tickets for Ohio State’s game against Tennessee on Dec. 21 sold out in minutes on Thursday morning.
CFP schedule
First round (Dec. 20-21)
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Friday, Dec. 20: 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Saturday, Dec. 21: 12 p.m. | TNT
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Saturday, Dec. 21: 4 p.m. | TNT
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, Saturday, Dec. 21: 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU winner, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 | ESPN
Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson winner, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee winner, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana winner, 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN
Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 | ESPN
Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 | ESPN
CFP National Championship
7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia | ESPN
What do Ohio State fans need to know about Tennessee?
Josh Heupel’s rebuild of Tennessee involved perimeter talent.
During the Volunteers’ breakthrough in 2022, few offenses in the nation were as explosive through the air. The centerpiece was Jalin Hyatt, the Biletnikoff Award winner who stretched the field with his deep speed.
But the ninth-seeded Volunteers’ road to the expanded College Football Playoff, where they visit eight-seeded Ohio State for a first-round matchup on Dec. 21, has looked different.
Their primary playmaker is Dylan Sampson, a running back who was the leading rusher in the Southeastern Conference with 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns this year.
It is the first time in four seasons under Heupel, a former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Oklahoma, that the Volunteers have averaged more yards rushing (232) than passing (231).
The Volunteers don’t have a receiver with more than 35 receptions. Hyatt caught 67 passes when he edged out Marvin Harrison Jr. for the Biletnikoff Award two years ago.
Sampson has been a workhorse back with 256 carries. Only nine in the Football Bowl Subdivision have totaled more in 2024. His role has helped to take the load off Nico Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman quarterback who has experienced growing pains at times in his first season behind center.
Between Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton, the Volunteers had relied on senior quarterbacks in previous season to push the ball down the field vertically.
With a 5-foot-11 frame that allows him to run low to the ground, Sampson is an elusive back. He has forced 70 missed tackles while rushing, a total that leaves him tied for fifth in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus, and grinds out yards. He has gained 927 after contact.
Tennessee’s formidability in the interior extends to the defensive side of the ball as it has the nation’s eighth-ranked rush defense, allowing just under 100 rushing yards per game.
James Pearce Jr. is a star along the Volunteers’ defensive line, leading them with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
“Their front is very good,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said, “on the edge and inside.”
The Volunteers allow only 13.9 points per game, ranking fourth nationally, and have only once allowed an opponent to score more than 30 points, coming in their 31-17 loss at Georgia last month.
They play at fast pace.
Tennessee averages 24 seconds per play, the 21st-fasted tempo in the FBS, a contrast to the Buckeyes’ competition in the Big Ten. Based on this measurement, Akron, averaging 26 seconds per play, ranking 57th, was the most up-tempo opponent that Ohio State saw during the regular season.
The Volunteers’ 888 plays are the 13th-most as well.
As the Buckeyes began scouting Tennessee last week ahead of their potential matchup, it was apparent.
“They try to put stress on you with space and tempo,” Day said, “so we have to be prepared to play fast in this game. We’ve kind of started that process of what we’re going to do, getting lined up and making sure that our guys got their cleats in the dirt and go play football.”
−Joey Kaufman
What bowl games are in CFP?
The Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will host quarterfinal games. The venues for this season’s semifinals are the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
CFP game locations
The four on-campus first-round CFP games:
- Dec. 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
- Dec. 21: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State | 12 p.m. | TNT/MAX
- Dec. 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas | 4 p.m. | TNT/MAX
- Dec. 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A critically acclaimed name in Cleveland’s food scene is making a comeback of sorts and entering a new era in the food and restaurant business.
After the official closure of Melt Bar and Grilled locations across the area in late 2024, founder Matt Fish is stepping back into the restaurant business with a brand-new concept in Ohio City.
More Melts close
Fish is preparing to open “Proof Public House” inside the former Proof BBQ space along Lorain Avenue.
The new restaurant and bar is expected to officially open in mid-June after recently obtaining its food service license.
The announcement was just made on the restaurant’s official Instagram page this week.
But Fish says this project is very different from Melt’s previous projects, with more than a dozen locations across Ohio.
“I’m starting from scratch. Brand new concept. Brand new feeling, brand new attitude,” Fish said. “I wanna get back to basics.”
Fish describes Proof Public House as a punk rock-inspired neighborhood bar and restaurant with elevated comfort food, craft drinks, and an evolving seasonal menu.
“I’ve always wanted to get back to my roots,” Fish said. “I’ve always wanted to get back to a small place and recapture that magic of what Melt Bar and Grilled was when it first opened up.”
The longtime chef and restaurateur says music and creativity will help define the atmosphere and capture the essence.
Fish grew up on punk rock music and is also a drummer.
He says Cleveland’s history and punk rock roots make this latest project feel even more special.
The menu, he says, will feature chef-driven comfort food with rotating seasonal dishes and a specialized beverage program.
“Just have fun with the menu,” Fish said. “The beverage program will be very seasonal. It’s gonna be very evolving.”
Although many fans still associate Fish with the iconic grilled cheese sandwiches that helped make Melt Bar and Grilled a Northeast Ohio staple after opening in 2006, he says this new chapter is about moving forward.
“That part of my life is over and gone, but it was something special to so many of us,” Fish said.
Still, longtime Melt fans may notice subtle nods to the past.
Fish hinted there would be occasional “odes to Melt” appearing on the menu in the future, in some capacity.
He also credits former Proof BBQ and current Visible Voice Books owner Dave Ferrante for encouraging him to jump back into the hospitality business.
Fish quietly consulted on projects behind the scenes after Melt’s closure, including work connected to Visible Voice.
“I want to do something for myself, do something for the City of Cleveland, do something for my family and friends,” Fish said.
Proof Public House is expected to announce an official opening date soon.
News 5 promises to Follow-Through.
We Follow Through
Want us to continue to follow through on a story? Let us know.
Ohio, one of the nation’s data center destination hot spots, is suspending a tax break that has been critical to its competition with other states to attract the massive new facilities that power and train artificial intelligence chatbots.
The move Wednesday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as tax breaks for energy-hungry AI data centers are increasingly playing a role in state budgets and the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of the vast network of its computing warehouses needed to power AI.
The size of Ohio’s tax break skyrocketed, dwarfing previous projections, as opposition to data centers is sweeping through cities, suburbs and towns there and prompting lawmakers to form a committee to study the impact.
In the meantime, residents are trying to bypass the GOP-controlled Legislature and get a referendum on November’s midterm election ballot that’s designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers, likely the strictest such statewide ban under consideration in the U.S.
DeWine’s office cited the rising utilization of the tax break and the state Legislature’s new research undertaking to declare a “pause” in granting it to new applicants.
“The governor felt it was the right time to let the citizens know, let businesses know that we’re going to pause on new offers of this tax incentive while that process plays out,” DeWine’s spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said Thursday.
DeWine has stressed that he supports data centers — calling them a critical component in today’s economy — and that the roughly $37 billion in data center-related investments in 2024 and 2025 in the state has been worthwhile.
The state, in 2024, had used previous history in projecting that the exemption would total $136 million in fiscal 2025 and $142 million in fiscal 2026. It was $554 million in 2024 and nearly $1.6 billion in 2025, the state reported.
The resumption of Ohio’s tax break — should it resume — could happen under a new governor: DeWine is term-limited and the race is on to replace him. The Republican nominee, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy — an Ivy League-educated biotech billionaire — likes to talk about turning the Ohio River Valley into the next Silicon Valley.
However, Ramaswamy and Democratic nominee Amy Acton could share the midterm ballot in November with the citizen-led drive to ban the construction of data centers across Ohio. It faces a July 1 deadline to gather more than 400,000 voter signatures.
State tax breaks for the massive data center industry are facing growing criticism by governors and lawmakers.
The cost is likely rising as data center and AI-related investments drive higher consumer spending in the U.S. and tech giants keep boosting their spending commitment to hyperscale data centers.
In Virginia, negotiations between the state House and Senate have been hung up for months on a bid by Senate Democrats to eliminate the roughly $1.6 billion annual tax break.
Thirty-eight states have some form of a sales tax break for data centers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Many were approved more than five years ago, when data centers were a small, but growing part of the economy, and well before the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched an intensifying buildout of increasingly large data centers.
Ohio’s exemption is fairly broad, applying not only to construction materials, but to the expensive equipment — such as server racks and cooling systems — used in data centers. Operators might buy new server racks every couple of years as the technology improves.
DeWine’s order was a surprise.
Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, where union members spend much of their time on data center projects, said he was upset with DeWine and trying to understand the governor’s reasons.
He worried, he said, that developers that were in the midst of trying to finalize plans or permits for a project might have second thoughts.
Lawmakers acknowledged the opposition in announcing their joint data center committee on May 13.
“We’re well aware of initiatives to limit Ohio data center development during this critical point in America’s history,” state Rep. Adam Holmes told a news conference. “This public concern has become a priority issue for us and could have dramatic impact on Ohio and American’s future.”
___
Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter
Ohio
After months of traffic headaches, Ohio, Ontario bridges in and out of Chicago to finally reopen
After more than a year of major congestion, lane closures and traffic bottlenecks in and out of downtown Chicago from the Kennedy Expressway, two major connecting ramps from the Kennedy to River North are finally set to reopen.
Lanes on the Ohio and Ontario Street feeder bridges, which bring Kennedy drivers into the city at Ohio and out of the city at Ontario, started reopening with three lanes each Thursday morning, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. That’s up from the narrow two that has caused major traffic headaches since Nov. 2024.
As of 5:30 a.m. Thursday, IDOT was still working to finish its final overnight “punch list” for the Ohio Street bridge going east, NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin said. By 6 a.m., things were clear, with new pavement markings set and traffic barricades removed.
“Haven’t been able to say that since November 2024,” Martin said.
Thursday night, Ontario street will be closed from Orleans to the Kennedy Expressway in order to finish final work westbound. By 5 a.m. Friday, the Ontario Street feeder to the outbound Kennedy was expected to fully reopen, IDOT said.
The end of the construction means drivers on Thursday will have three lanes eastbound on Ohio open from the Kennedy to Orleans. Friday morning, three lanes open westbound on Ontario between Orleans and the Kennedy.
“This will ease the bottleneck that was caused by having only 2 lanes and off-peak closures during the duration of this effort,” Martin said.
“The public can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area,” IDOT said, as the closures come to an end and reopening begins. “Alternate routes are encouraged. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.”
The $15.4 million project “replaced bridge expansion joints, structural steel and deck repairs along with the installation of a new deck overlay and resurfacing on the elevated bridges,” IDOT said. It was a separate project from the three-year rehabilitation of the Kennedy Expressway that concluded last fall.
As the highly anticipated reopening comes, more work on the bridges is still needed, IDOT said, with concrete paving patching to repair both ramps to each bridge set to occur later this summer. That work will require a “full closure” over three weekends, alternating between Ohio and Ontario streets between the Kennedy and Orleans.
-
News14 minutes agoWhich first lady feared her husband might be having a stroke? The quiz knows
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoRescued sea lion pups released in Manhattan Beach
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoSunda New Asian brings bold flavors to Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoDriver Arrested After Pedestrian Killed, Three Injured In Mission District Crash
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoMcAllen Welcomes Texas Hockey | Dallas Stars
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoPair arrested in connection with armed home invasion robbery in Miami, cops say
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoSaturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoVon Miller lobbying Broncos to bring him back (here’s the latest update)
