The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes welcome the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers for a primetime affair at Ohio Stadium tonight. The winner advances to the quarterfinal round and punches its ticket for Pasadena to face the Oregon Ducks. The loser goes home.

The hosts will “Scarlet Out” the Shoe and will dress for the occasion.

SCARLET EVERYTHING pic.twitter.com/radPONjYIQ

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 20, 2024

Eleven Warriors Staff Score Predictions

Andy Anders: Ohio State 20, Tennessee 17
Both offenses struggle in the cold with a few whacky plays in a rock fight, but Ohio State’s defense and receivers do enough to carry the Buckeyes through to the CFP quarterfinals.

Chase Brown: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 20
The Michigan game has thrown a wrench in how many people, including me, view Ohio State. However, I’ve decided to throw that performance — and the wrench — out the window as I pick this game, selecting a Buckeye team that should have reached the Big Ten title game and been no lower than the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the CFP to take care of business against a formidable foe from the SEC.

George Eisner: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 17
Between speculation on how the weather will impact the visitors and the Buckeyes’ most recent letdown performance at home, it seems difficult to forecast how this game will go. Therefore, while leaning towards the under given the frigid conditions, I’m taking the coward’s approach to a prediction and aligning my anticipated margin of victory almost exactly with the spread.

Jack Emerson: Ohio State 28, Tennessee 13
The Buckeyes ride on the back of their defense, while displaying a much more encouraging offensive performance en route to a CFP win.

I’m picking the Buckeyes because of my belief in Ohio State’s defense to draw from the energy of a loud home crowd and make key stops with the game on the line.– Dan HOpe

Johnny Ginter: Ohio State 20, Tennessee 24
I just can’t believe in Ohio State’s ability to maximize their talent until I see it actually happen, and I don’t think that’s truly something we’ve seen all season.

Matt Gutridge: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 21
Ryan Day is currently 6-7 against teams ranked seventh or better in the CFP. He’s 2-3 against teams outside the Big Ten and Ohio State’s head coach is defeated (0-2) against the SEC. Here’s to the cold weather making the Volunteers turn into orange creamsicles. If not, this could be another bad night for Day and company.

Garrick Hodge: Ohio State 21, Tennessee 17
The Buckeyes win a Rock fight in the Shoe thanks to touchdown catches from Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

Dan Hope: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 20
Both teams’ defenses are better than their offenses, so I’m not envisioning either team scoring more than four times. I expect some continued struggles from Ohio State’s offensive line against a really good Tennessee defense, but I’m picking the Buckeyes because of my belief in Ohio State’s defense to draw from the energy of a loud home crowd and make key stops with the game on the line.

Kyle Jones: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 17
The Buckeyes come out aggressive and get an early lead, forcing the Vols to lean more heavily on a passing game not built to come back in such games.

Chris Lauderback: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 17
No outcome would surprise me and I don’t really feel like the cold weather favors the Buckeyes at all but I’ll ride with Ohio State’s defense to make the Volunteers one-dimensional and I have Jeremiah scoring at least one touchdown as OSU advances to face Oregon.

Ramzy Nasrallah: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 23
If the Buckeyes prepare for Tennessee, they’ll win and advance to the Rose Bowl. If they prepare for Michigan again, or a Michigan team from a past era, or decide scoring points isn’t nearly as important as proving points – they are going to lose the game. This prediction is a bet against the coaching staff’s recent behavior.

Josh Poloha: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 20
The Buckeyes come out with a point to prove and play with a chip on their shoulder, much like they did against Indiana, and get a big-time win over one of the best teams in the SEC. Ryan Day and Chip Kelly learn from their mistakes after the loss to Michigan and allow OSU’s playmakers to make plays on the outside all while the Silver Bullets dominate on that side of the ball.

Jason Priestas: Ohio State 23, Tennessee 13
The Buckeyes answer their critics in a historic, frigid, first for Ohio Stadium, and in doing so, inject themselves right back into the CFP contender discussion.

Jordan Raines: Ohio State 24, Tennessee 17
The Buckeyes get creative on offense and the defense holds Dylan Sampson in check allowing

Will Ohio State Cover?

The current Vegas spread sits at Ohio State -7.5 after opening at Ohio State -7. Since adding the hook, the Ohio State moneyline has peaked at -280. Tennessee’s moneyline has increased from +195 at open to +230 in some books. The initial game total of 46.5 has added a point and is showing at 47.5 in some spots.

With the current odds, just 21 percent (3 of 14) of our staff predictions have Ohio State covering while 93 percent (13 of 14) have the Buckeyes winning, but not covering.

Only Johnny Ginter predicted Tennessee to win outright.

What About the Over?

Every member of the 11W staff is going with the under.

Eleven Warriors House Prop Bets

Let’s make the game a little more interesting with a few prop lines set right here by Eleven Warriors. Make your predictions in the comments and compete for bragging rights.

• Emeka Egbuka Anytime Touchdown (+155)
  • Over 4.5 receptions (-114)
  • Under 4.5 receptions (-114)
• Jeremiah Smith Anytime Touchdown (+110)
  • Over 69.5 receiving yards (-114)
  • Under 69.5 receiving yards (-114)
• Will Howard Rushing Yards
  • Over 10.5 yards (-114)
  • Under 10.5 yards (-114)

Ohio State and Tennessee will clash under the scarlet lights of Ohio Stadium at 8 p.m. tonight. Don’t forget to make your official Eleven Warriors Prognostication before kickoff for a chance to win a free signed Jeremiah Smith jersey.

The former Ohio State linebacker signed with the Wildcats on Friday after entering the transfer portal earlier this month, according to multiple reports.

Ohio State transfer linebacker Gabe Powers has signed with Kansas State, @On3sports has learned.

Former top-150 recruit had an interception return for a touchdown in 2024.https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 pic.twitter.com/D0h2lGOt4f

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 21, 2024

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Powers brings two years of eligibility to Kansas State after three seasons at Ohio State. Powers played only sparingly in his three years as a Buckeye, though he returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s season-opening win over Akron this season.

What a play by Gabe Powers for the @OhioStateFB touchdown. pic.twitter.com/3JsVeITD0R

— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) August 31, 2024

Had Powers stayed at Ohio State, he likely would have remained a backup linebacker next season, assuming Sonny Styles stays at OSU for his senior year. Arvell Reese is in line to replace Cody Simon as the Buckeyes’ starting middle linebacker while Payton Pierce and C.J. Hicks – if he doesn’t make a full-time move to the edge – are also candidates for increased playing time at linebacker in 2025.

Powers, who opted not to remain with the Buckeyes for the CFP, chose Kansas State after also visiting Minnesota, North Carolina and Wisconsin. He becomes the second Buckeye since the end of the regular season to transfer to a new school, joining wide receiver Jayden Ballard, who committed to Wisconsin earlier this week.

The College Football Playoff for the 2024 season finally has arrived, with four first-round games set to unfold this weekend at campus sites.

• WATCH: Stream most of this week’s top college football games live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial).

It starts Friday night, with No. 7 Notre Dame playing host to No. 10 Indiana. Then on Saturday, 11th-seeded SMU visits No. 6 Penn State, followed by No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson and No. 8 Ohio State playing host to No. 9 Tennessee.

All four winners will advance to the CFP quarterfinals, which are set for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at bowl sites around the country. The Ohio State-Tennessee winner will face No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl; the Texas-Clemson winner will play No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl; the Penn State-SMU winner will take on No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl; and the Notre Dame-Indiana winner will go up against No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Check out the odds for the four first-round playoff games, plus score predictions from the college football coverage team at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Friday at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Notre Dame by 7

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17

James Crepea: Notre Dame 35, Indiana 21

Nick Daschel: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 23

Aaron Fentress: Notre Dame 29, Indiana 23

Joe Freeman: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 21

Sean Meagher: Notre Dame 38, Indiana 35

Joel Odom: Notre Dame 34, Indiana 24

Bill Oram: Notre Dame 31, Indiana 17

No. 11 SMU (11-2) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2)

Game details: 9 a.m. PT Saturday at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Penn State by 9

Over/under: 52.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Penn State 31, SMU 10

James Crepea: Penn State 28, SMU 21

Nick Daschel: Penn State 34, SMU 24

Aaron Fentress: Penn State 33, SMU 22

Joe Freeman: Penn State 28, SMU 17

Sean Meagher: Penn State 35, SMU 21

Joel Odom: Penn State 41, SMU 27

Bill Oram: Penn State 35, SMU 33

No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2)

Game details: 1 p.m. PT Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Texas by 12

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Texas 23, Clemson 20

James Crepea: Texas 35, Clemson 24

Nick Daschel: Texas 27, Clemson 17

Aaron Fentress: Texas 39, Clemson 24

Joe Freeman: Texas 35, Clemson 20

Sean Meagher: Texas 24, Clemson 17

Joel Odom: Texas 35, Clemson 30

Bill Oram: Texas 55, Clemson 10

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Ohio State by 7

Over/under: 46.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Tennessee 34, Ohio State 28

James Crepea: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 28

Nick Daschel: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 31

Aaron Fentress: Ohio State 31, Tennessee 23

Joe Freeman: Ohio State 28, Tennessee 24

Sean Meagher: Tennessee 33, Ohio State 31

Joel Odom: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 20

Bill Oram: Tennessee 24, Ohio State 14