The Hodgepodge: Ohio State vs. Tennessee Could Have the Makings of a Rock Fight, Breaking Down the CFP Bracket and Most Notable Moments from Championship Week

By Garrick Hodge on December 9, 2024 at 11:35 am
Cody Simon
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

Ohio State has its playoff matchup set. 

The Buckeyes will face Tennessee at 8 p.m. on Dec. 21 in the first-ever playoff game at Ohio Stadium, and the first OSU December contest period at the Shoe for that matter. If you plan on going, dress accordingly, I can’t imagine it will be overly warm! 

There’s something that feels special about forcing a southern-based team to travel north for a do-or-die playoff game in the cold. In fact, three of the four CFP first-round games will be hosted by cold-weather teams.

Though if we’re being honest, if you remove the Southeastern Conference logo from the uniform, Tennessee has all the makings of a team well-equipped to play in the elements. The Volunteers have a strong running game, with running back Dylan Sampson being the reigning SEC Player of the Year. The defensive line is deadly, anchored by defensive end James Pearce Jr., who is projected by many to be a first-round draft pick this spring. And while quarterback Nico Iamaleava has been inconsistent this season, his playmaking ability alone keeps you honest at the least. 

But like every team in 2024, the Volunteers have their warts. When Iamaleava isn’t making big plays, the Tennessee offense can get very one-dimensional. Tennessee also isn’t a great red zone team, as it sits 89th nationally in red zone scoring percentage (of 60 trips, it’s failed to score on 11 of them).

If you read all this and think this has the makings of a rock fight at Ohio Stadium, I’m right there with you. Especially factoring in the banged-up offensive line from Ohio State and a Buckeyes defense that has been effective in defending the pass in all but one game this year. Maybe I’ll feel differently next week, but at the moment, I’m leaning toward the Buckeyes pulling out a low-scoring victory in the first round.

RELATED Five Things to Know About Tennessee, Ohio State's First-Round College Football Playoff Opponent

For the first time ever, we have a 12-team CFP bracket

Depending on what team holds your allegiance, you probably had a different initial reaction upon seeing the bracket. 

If you’re an Ohio State or Tennessee fan, you probably said something like, “I’m sorry, our path to win the national championship if we get past round one is likely Oregon, Texas and Georgia/Notre Dame/Penn State?” If Ryan Day or Josh Heupel can survive that gauntlet and win a title, they deserve a statue. 

If you’re a Penn State fan, you probably wept with joy about receiving the easiest path to the semifinals of any of the 12 teams in the field. 

Should you root for Texas, you probably initially had a similar feeling as Penn State, but then if you were honest with yourself, you nervously realized you hadn’t beaten a single team all year that’s better than Clemson, depending on how you feel about Texas A&M.

On the flip side, if you’re an Oregon fan, I can’t imagine you’re thrilled whatsoever. The Ducks’ reward for going undefeated is a potential matchup with college football’s best roster in the quarterfinals, and if you’re lucky enough to survive that, a possible semifinal game against Texas IN DALLAS. Similar to Ohio State and Tennessee, if the Ducks win the national title, there’s no doubt they’ll have earned it.

I’m sure most Indiana fans feel like they’re playing with house money, but an in-state matchup against Notre Dame seems like it raises the stakes just a bit. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, have to feel like they have an ample opportunity for a title run, considering Georgia’s starting quarterback might not be able to move one of his arms.

Georgia fans are relieved they have a bye week but have to be nervous about their quarterback situation. Even though Carson Beck isn’t exactly a fan-favorite due to his poor play at times this season, he’s still a clear upgrade over backup Gunner Stockton. Maybe the Bulldogs’ defense can carry them again. 

Clemson and Arizona State fans probably have a similar mindset to Indiana: Happy to be here, except they’ve each had to fight their way in by winning a conference title game, so they probably already feel like they’ve started the playoffs. 

An SMU fan is probably just grateful to see another day. Nearly every college football fan not positioned in the South probably snickered, “LOL, sucks to suck, Alabama, roll tears.” 

Almost every fan not positioned in Idaho spat out their drink and said “I’m sorry, Boise State is seeded where?”

I think these are my other thoughts regarding the CFP bracket:

  • Regardless of whether you were pro or anti-CFP expansion, I think the 12-team format is a net positive. There were more meaningful games this season for more teams across the sport than ever before, and now, just like the NCAA basketball tournament, there are legit Cinderellas for a casual fan to root for. Indiana has arguably been the worst program in Power Four football for decades, and now the Hoosiers are CFP-bound. Arizona State was picked by coaches and media to finish last in the Big 12 standings; now it's in the playoffs. A majority of college fans probably couldn’t tell you Boise State’s starting quarterback, but Ashton Jeanty is a household name and a first-round talent on the second Group of Five team ever to make the CFP. 
  • Now that we’ve praised the CFP, we also gotta talk about the format. Man, does it need some restructuring. There’s no doubt there will be major changes for the 2026 season, AKA when they’re first able to implement changes, but I think the biggest quality of life change you can make is guaranteeing Power Four conference champions a spot in the field, but not a first-round bye. An undefeated team shouldn’t have a harder path to the semifinals than the sixth seed. 
  • I think the best thing about the 12-team playoff is it’s hard for me to feel much sympathy for the first team out. Last year, when Florida State became the first undefeated Power Four team ever to be left out, I truly felt bad. Quarterback injury or not, they deserved a chance if you’ve won all your games. Meanwhile, nobody outside of Alabama is feeling sympathy for a three-loss team missing out because SMU lost on a heartbreaking 56-yard field goal. Did the Crimson Tide have a better win and a harder schedule than SMU? Yes. Should Alabama have simply beaten one of two .500 teams and rendered this conversation moot? Also yes. 
  • The whining from Alabama is off-the-charts obnoxious. I don’t mind it from fans necessarily. I get it, it sucks being on the bubble and being left out. But for Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne to come out and say they’ll have to re-evaluate scheduling tough teams again is eye-roll-inducing. All three of the Crimson Tide’s losses this year were in conference. Their out-of-conference opponents were USF, Western Kentucky, Mercer (an FCS school) and probably the worst Wisconsin team in 20 years. If anything, if one of those opponents was a ranked foe and Alabama beat them, the Crimson Tide probably still get in over SMU. 
  • I kept seeing the argument of “Imagine if Alabama played SMU’s schedule.” Well, judging by how the Crimson Tide fared against mediocre and .500 opponents, they’d probably be preparing to play in the Music City Bowl right about now. 
  • Teams with the easiest path to a national title: Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame.
  • Teams with the hardest path to a national title: Ohio State, Tennessee, Oregon

Championship Week had some fun moments

  • A 56-yard bomb from a freshman kicker to clinch a playoff spot is the kind of stuff that championship week was made for, regardless of which jersey he wears.
  • SMU’s game-tying touchdown with 16 seconds left was pretty thrilling.
  • Yep, Ashton Jeanty is still very good.
  • He doesn’t get near the hype that Jeanty does, but Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo is that dude.
  • Chucking it deep on 4th-and-1 from your own 35 down 7-3 in the first quarter in the Big 12 Championship takes all kinds of stones.
  • This is probably the best play Drew Allar has made in his career.
  • Marcus Freeman went up a few points in my book after subtly saying that he “took a minute and Googled him” when asked about Indiana coach Curt Cignetti. 
  • I feel like we should give out a Big Ten Bully award yearly, sounds awesome. 
  • Always gotta love a snap through the quarterback’s legs directly to the running back.
  • I, too, would celebrate a championship and a CFP berth with a backflip if I could.
  • Leading up to the game, UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams said he couldn’t find Boise on a map. The scoreboard operator had some fun at his expense following a sack.
  • Hell of a week for Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro, leading his Bobcats to a MAC championship.
  • Army’s kicker forced a fumble on a kickoff. That poor Tulane returner is probably never going to hear the end of it.

Championship Week had some whacky things too

  • Interesting halftime interview from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian.
  • This play could define Georgia’s season if Gunner Stockton can’t get it done in the playoffs assuming Carson Beck is out indefinitely.
  • Just how they drew it up, Miami (OH) edition.
  • College kickers. Doink.
  • Not exactly the field goal attempt Tulane had in mind.
  • There was a reason SMU was in such a deep hole early. 
  • Ow. 

Former Buckeye of the week 

We won’t be handing out a former Buckeye of the week for Championship Week. I guess it would be Quinn Ewers by default, but that would seem a little hollow. Anyhow, in next week’s Hodgepodge, we’ll highlight the former Buckeyes that had the best years.

Past results

Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, long snapper, Florida State

Week One former Buckeye of the week: Evan Pryor, RB, Cincinnati

Week Two former Buckeye of the week: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Week Three former Buckeye of the week: Mookie Cooper, WR, Missouri

Week Four former Buckeye of the week: Julian Fleming, WR, Penn State

Week Five former Buckeye of the week: Noah Rogers, WR, North Carolina State

Week Six former Buckeye of the week: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse

Week Seven former Buckeye of the week: Joe Royer, tight end, Cincinnati

Week Eight former Buckeye of the week: Cameron Martinez, DB, Boston College

Week Nine former Buckeye of the week: Bryson Shaw, safety, USC

Week 10 former Buckeye of the week: Enokk Vimahi, guard, Washington

Week 11 former Buckeye of the week: Reid Carrico, linebacker, West Virginia

Week 12 former Buckeye of the week: Parker Lewis, kicker, Arizona State

Week 13 former Buckeye of the week: Jesse Mirco, punter, Vanderbilt

Week 14 former Buckeye of the week: Kyle McCord, Syracuse

Games of the week

Since the CFP games aren’t for another two weeks, we’ll refrain from picking them until next week. I attempted picking every bowl game in a piece last year and will probably write something similar this year, possibly even this week, but I’ll factor in spreads and such in next Monday’s Hodgepodge. Plus, I can still be held accountable for my dumb picks in Championship Week.

Championship Week record: 4-5

Overall record: 58-50

Hot seat tracker

Two of the four Power Four jobs have been filled, with UNLV’s Barry Odom headed to Purdue and former Nebraska coach Scott Frost headed back to UCF. We’ll see if anything else opens within the next few weeks, but it’s shaping up to be a pretty quiet cycle so far. Though if Bill Belichick actually takes the North Carolina job, that would be pretty spicy. 

Already fired

  • Ryan Walters, Purdue
  • Neal Brown, West Virginia
  • Mack Brown, North Carolina
  • Mike MacIntyre, FIU
  • Mike Houston, East Carolina 
  • Will Hall, Southern Miss
  • Mike Bloomgren, Rice
  • Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
  • Stan Drayton, Temple
  • Mike Neu, Ball State
  • Kevin Wilson, Tulsa
  • Tom Herman, FAU
  • Biff Poggi, Charlotte
  • Jim McElwain, CMU (yeah, yeah, he “retired,” but come on)
  • Don Brown, UMass

Keeping an eye on these guys if they have bad years in 2025

  • Mike Locksley, Maryland
  • Dave Aranda, Baylor
  • Billy Napier, Florida
  • Ryan Day, Ohio State
  • Brent Venables, Oklahoma
  • Lincoln Riley, USC
  • Hugh Freeze, Auburn
  • Sherrone Moore, Michigan
  • Brian Kelly, LSU
  • Mike Norvell, Florida State
  • Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
  • Tony Elliott, Virginia
  • Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
  • Brent Brennan, Arizona
  • Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
  • Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
  • Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
  • Mark Stoops, Kentucky
  • Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Final Hodgepodge classifiers

In the CFP: Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Penn State, SMU, Boise State, Arizona State, Clemson

SEC whining continues: Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina

Sure, you blew your CFP chances, but you’re going to the Pop-Tarts Bowl: Iowa State, Miami

Disastrous finish to the season: Texas A&M

Complete second-year disaster: Wisconsin

Most chaotic not bowl-eligible team ever: Kansas

Coach got fired: North Carolina, Purdue, West Virginia

Coach left to be an offensive coordinator: UCF

Have clinched a bowl game but not going to the CFP: Oklahoma, USC, Florida, Nebraska, Michigan, Colorado, BYU, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, LSU, Illinois, Missouri, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Iowa, Louisville, Duke, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, TCU, South Carolina, North Carolina, Baylor, Washington, Rutgers, Boston College, Cal, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State

Below average: Virginia, Cincinnati, Auburn, Michigan State, Utah

No other way to say it, these teams stink: Northwestern, Maryland, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Houston, Mississippi State, Florida State, Arizona, Stanford, UCLA

This team was so bad the board of trustees staged a mutiny to force its coach to take a reduced contract: Oklahoma State

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