Josh Heupel said his Tennessee football team is ready to play in cold conditions at Ohio State in a College Football Playoff game.

That’s easy for him to say.

Heupel grew up in South Dakota. And he routinely wears shorts to the Vols’ outdoor practices, even in November and December.

But cold temperatures are already a storyline for when No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2) plays No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2) in a first-round game on Dec. 21 (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) in Columbus, Ohio.

On Sunday, Heupel was asked during ESPN’s “College Football Playoff Selection Show” about his Vols playing in cold conditions.

“Yeah, you know a week ago we played in 30-degree weather (at Vanderbilt),” Heupel said. “This isn’t the Deep South. We get some colder weather. We practice in the mornings. We’ll be outside during the course of our preparation.

“We’ll be ready to handle the elements when we get up to Columbus, Ohio.”

VOLS VS OHIO STATE What to know about Tennessee opponent in CFP

On Nov. 30, Tennessee won 36-23 at Vanderbilt in its regular-season finale. It was 41 degrees and sunny at kickoff, but temperatures dipped into the low-30s by the end of the game.

Columbus, Ohio has a colder climate than what Tennessee is accustomed to playing in for SEC games. However, it’s not that different.

For example, when the CFP bracket was announced on Sunday afternoon, it was 55 degrees in Knoxville and 51 degrees in Columbus. The wind chill likely will challenge the Vols the most.

Expect the questions about cold weather to focus on quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a native of Long Beach, California.

74 years ago, Tennessee won big game in single-digit temperatures

By the way, don’t expect this game to break the record for coldest Tennessee football game.

On Nov. 25, 1950, Tennessee beat Kentucky 7-0 in single-digit temperatures in Knoxville.

About 45,000 fans braved frigid conditions at Shields-Watkins Field. Knoxville hit a record low of 12 degrees the day before the game. It dropped to 5 degrees hours before kickoff, which still stands as the coldest November day recorded in Knoxville.

Snow was shoveled off the field, but the game was still sloppy. The teams combined for 20 punts, 18 turnovers and only 17 first downs in the Vols’ 7-0 win.

Tennessee won a share of the national title that season with an 11-1 record, including a 20-14 win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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