Early Betting Line for Ohio State vs. Tennessee Shows Clear Favorite

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated Dec 8, 2024 4:46 PM ET

The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was revealed on Sunday, with one of the games seeing the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes take on the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers. Despite being one of the top teams in the nation all year long, a crushing loss to the Michigan Wolverines saw the Buckeyes take a big drop down the standings.

Ohio State spent much of the year angling for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and a first-round bye in the CFP, but instead, they missed out on the Championship game, and now have to take on a tough Tennessee squad in the first-round.

However, it's clear the Buckeyes are still a very strong team, and that the Vols will have a tough time taking them down in this clash. That was reflected in the early betting line, as Ohio State immediately opened as a -6.5 favorite over Tennessee in this big clash.

Projected point spreads for @CFBPlayoff 1st round games via @_Collin1

Texas -14½ Clemson
Ohio State -6 Tennessee
Penn State -9 SMU
Notre Dame -8½ Indiana
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 8, 2024

While the Buckeyes took a steep fall thanks to their loss to the Wolverines, they still are a very talented team. They lost just two games on the year, and while their loss to a subpar Michigan squad looms large, their only other loss on the year was a one-point defeat at the hands of the No. 1 Oregon Ducks.

Meanwhile, Tennessee also only lost two games this season, with one defeat coming against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs, but the other being at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. So in a way, they have had a similar season as Ohio State, which should make for a compelling contest.

It's not too hard to see why Ohio State is the favorite to come out on top in this one, though. They have a solid offense led by quarterback Will Howard, and their defense is one of the best in the nation. If they can bounce back from their crushing loss to Michigan, they will be a very dangerous team moving forward.

Tennessee's offense, led by star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, will have to find a way to put up points if they want to win this one, but early betting lines don't seem to like their chances. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 21st.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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