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COLUMBUS – You could call that – a 42-17 whipping of Tennessee – the Ryan Day ‘Revival’ for Ohio State on Saturday night, whether Buckeye fans care to admit it or not. 

Honesty, they could not matter less to Ryan Day, even though he won’t say that part out loud. 

Amidst a sea of orange inside the ‘Shoe’, in what felt more like a neurtral site game, the Buckeyes are moving onto the next round of the college football playoff, thanks to a dominating first quarter that propelled this team to the emphatic win. 

For the past two weeks, what felt like a majority of Ohio State fans sounded the alarm about a program that was moving in the wrong direction, under a head coach that could not beat Michigan. Turns out, the Buckeyes were sick of hearing about the Wolverines, and the only way to shut the haters up for now was to beat Tennessee. 

And that they did, in highly impressive fashion against what most thought would be a competitive game. It was also the Jeremiah Smith Show for the Buckeyes, who hauled in numerous touchdowns against a rough Tennessee secondary. 

No matter what the critics say about the Buckeyes program, and I promise you the players aren’t listening, it doesn’t matter for another week now. All the talk about the Michigan loss has been silenced, at least for the next ten days. 

Ohio state defeats Tennessee in College Football Playoff

COLUMBUS – Jack Sawyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates during the second quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Playoff First Round Game at Ohio Stadium on December 21, 2024.  (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

There was nothing going for Tennessee against this Ohio State team, but that has become the theme for Josh Heupel’s offense this season. This is a squad that looks as though it is sleep-walking in the first half of nearly every important game this season. It’s almost expected now, which is the problem, and there hasn’t been a play call or scheme that Josh Heupel could call to prevent it. 

After trailing 21-0 in the first quarter, the lead ballooned to 28-10 in the 3rd, with a Vols’ offense that looks nothing like what everyone was used to seeing just two years ago. Simply put, the Vols are not scary any longer, and that was once again on full display in Columbus. 

Even for the Vols’ defense, which has been a star for this team in 2024, it looked like a squad that was caught in the lights, desperately trying to stop this group of Buckeye wide receivers. 

What’s Next For Ohio State? A Rematch With Oregon In The Rose Bowl

Thanks to this monster win, when the program looked as though it was on some type of life support, the Buckeyes will now face Oregon in the Rose Bowl, giving us the rematch we deserved. 

The first game in September was a masterclass, with Will Howard coming up a few seconds short on being able to send it to overtime. Now, the Buckeyes get a chance to knock off the Big Ten champs, and the overall No.1 seed of the college football playoff. 

But not only do they get the chance to beat Oregon, some of these folks inside the Ohio State football building get to do it with a big ol’ smile on their faces, knowing how much chatter there has been about the program over the past two weeks. 

Ohio State beats Tennessee in the College Football Playoff

COLUMBUS – Jeremiah Smith of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter in the Playoff First Round Game at Ohio Stadium on December 21, 2024.  (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The opportunity to head West to Pasadena and play in the Rose Bowl, after fans have been yelling for Ryan Day’s removal for the past two weeks is almost like the cherry on top for the Buckeyes’ head coach. 

And guess what? He’s not going to come rushing back to you all after turning your back on the program, along with selling half your tickets to an opposing fan base. If Ryan Day could call out the fan base, he would, and tell them exactly what to do with their ‘congratulations’. 

Now, they have an opportunity to win the rematch against Oregon, and get the heck out of Columbus for at least four days. 

This was the best thing for the players, and the athletic department. No, it doesn’t erase the Michigan loss, but it gets the national folks back on their side. 

Tennessee Got Here, But It’s Got A Long Way To Go

Sure, the Vols made the playoffs, winning 10 games this season. But make no mistake about it, this isn’t the Tennessee team from 2022, which carved up opposing defenses like they were a pumpkin. 

No, this Josh Heupel squad did just enough this season, with just enough talent, to get this far. But right now, if they plan on getting past the first round in the future, Heupel better figure out how to recruit the type of playmakers he had two years ago. 

COLUMBUS – Head coach Josh Heupel of the Tennessee Volunteers gestures during the second quarter in the Playoff First Round Game at Ohio Stadium on December 21, 2024.  (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Sure, he’s landing some big names from the high school ranks, but his staff developing them has been a problem. There wasn’t a single player on that offense, besides a banged up Dylan Sampson, that scared Ohio State on Saturday night. 

And that’s the problem with the Vols. Sure, they won a few big games, beat Alabama, can hang their hat on a dominant rushing attack with Sampson, but they’ve missed dynamic receivers, and it shows on the field. Now, Tennessee has to go through an off-season of wondering ‘What If’. but the simple fact is that this is just who the Vols were. 

An offense that was struggling out of the gate, a defense that was good at certain spots, but very weak at other spots, which was ultimately the final nail in the 2024 season. 

As for the Buckeyes, this is exactly what the program needed to move forward, not some coaching search that fans have been calling for over the past two weeks. 

And because of that, Ryan Day gets the last laugh. For now.