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COLUMBUS, OH – It might’ve been sleeting on Friday afternoon on the campus of Ohio State, but that didn’t stop a number of Tennessee and Buckeye fans from soaking up the atmosphere before both teams take the field on Saturday night in the college football playoff. 

The sounds of ‘Rocky Top’ were being heard around ‘The Shoe’ as a car came rolling by as I made my way around the stadium, while a number of fans clad in Orange were snapping pictures outside the stadium. As Ohio State personnel started setting up tailgate areas and preparing for the madness that today would bring, I couldn’t help but notice how much this game meant to so many. 

Making my way into the stadium, I ran into Ohio State AD Ross Bjork, who was obviously excited about tonight’s game, while he was shooting a video for social media. With everything that has transpired over the last two weeks after losing to Michigan, the focus has obviously turned towards this first round playoff game. 

Sure, he’s heard the noise surrounding Ryan Day, but he’s excited about where the program is headed, as he should be. As for the game itself, it’s going to be a madhouse around Columbus today, as Tennessee fans flock north, and Ohio State faithful prepare for another important home game. 

While workers continued building the sets for different television networks inside and outside the stadium, you could sense the tension rising as this game means so much for both teams. It’s not just a first round playoff matchup, this is a measuring stick for both Tennessee and Ohio State. 

Yes, the Tennessee ‘invasion’ has been discussed on social media for the past two weeks like we were preparing to see another war take place. Thousands of fans in orange will be inside Ohio Stadium tonight, and ticket prices have surely helped that situation. But, make no mistake, home field advantage will obviously be a factor tonight. 

After starting out at around $400 bucks just to get in the game, tickets were as low as $80 on Saturday morning, which is astonishing. But I think when you have a fan base that’s on the brink of losing their minds over another loss to the Wolverines, and it being so close to Christmas, this puts a strain on folks willing to spend the extra money. 

Tennessee and Ohio State will face-off in the first round of the College Football Playoff Via: Trey Wallace

Tennessee and Ohio State will face-off in the first round of the College Football Playoff Via: Trey Wallace

Luckily for them, ticket brokers are having to off-load a bunch of inventory before tonight. According to one guy I spoke with, who’s scalping tickets for the game, the company he works for is taking a massive hit due to the prices faling. 

“I know my boss didn’t expect us to be out here trying to just put out a fire,” the broker told me. “Everybody is taking a hit on this game, and there’s nothing we can do about it, besides sell all our tickets. I was selling tickets for $350 bucks a week ago, and now I might get $60 to $100 bucks on gameday.”

And in that case, this benefits the fans, so I don’t feel a lot of sympathy for the brokers who scooped up thousands of tickets during a presale. 

Tennessee ‘Invasion’ Of Columbus? The Pageantry Will Be Epic

Yes, the talk of Tennessee fans driving to Columbus like they are volunteering to fight at the Alamo has been a hot-topic around the area this week. If you haven’t noticed ‘Vol-Twitter’, I encourage you to checkout the madness that is that fan base. 

There will certainly be over 15,000 fans in Orange that make their way inside ‘The Shoe’ this evening, and I might be underestimating that number. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed over the last week regarding this game, it’s been the excitement from Tennessee fans about being in the college football playoff. 

Tennessee and Ohio State will face-off in the first round of the College Football Playoff Via: Trey Wallace

Tennessee and Ohio State will face-off in the first round of the College Football Playoff Via: Trey Wallace

So no, absolutely nothing would surprise me today, as we inch closer to kickoff. Judging by the number of fans strolling around campus at noon on a Friday, it’s going to be an electric atmosphere that will certainly live up to expectations. 

As for the game itself, who knows how this one will play out. But I do know this will be one of the best environments we see in college football during the playoff. 

Let the good times roll in Columbus.