Ohio State is the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Ranked sixth in the final CFP rankings, Ohio State is the fourth-highest-ranked at-large team in the 12-team field and will host No. 9 seed Tennessee in a first-round game at Ohio Stadium.
The game will kick off at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 and will be televised by ABC and ESPN.
If the Buckeyes defeat Tennessee, they’ll play No. 1 seed Oregon in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Should Ohio State advance to the semifinals, it would play in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10.
Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State are the top four seeds in the CFP and earn first-round byes as the four highest-ranked conference champions. Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State will host first-round games as the four highest-ranked at-large teams. Tennessee, Indiana, SMU and ACC champion Clemson round out the field.
THE BRACKET IS SET
— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2024
Who are you taking to win the #CFBPlayoff? pic.twitter.com/9BDWwesEVL
The Buckeyes will be one of the first four teams to host a College Football Playoff game as the CFP holds its first-ever 12-team playoff this year. Overall, Ohio State is making its sixth appearance in the CFP, the third-most of all schools behind Alabama (8) and Clemson (7).
Ohio State won the inaugural edition of the CFP in 2014 for its most recent national championship. To win another national championship this year, Ohio State will need to win four playoff games.
The Buckeyes’ matchup with the Volunteers will be just the second meeting ever between the two teams. Tennessee won the only previous matchup between the two teams in the 1996 Citrus Bowl, 20-14.
Ohio State and Tennessee both enter the CFP with 10-2 records.
