Exactly one month ago on Dec. 21, the Tennessee Vols traveled to Columbus, AKA Neyland North, with a great chance to pull off an upset win on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Josh Heupel and his players were feeling confident, as was the fanbase.
However, the Buckeyes kept landing haymakers on Tennessee, with Ohio State cruising to a 42-17 victory. In the middle of the action, Tennessee haters were out in full force ripping Heupel, and the trolling didn't stop for quite some time.
Fast forward to present time and all we can do is applaud what Ryan Day and Co. were able to get done, capping things off with the natty win over Notre Dame. Those same people who were bashing Heupel and the Vols owe this team an apology. Ohio State was simply on another level and Tennessee was 100 percent set up for failure having to start the CFP at The Shoe:
Tennessee really got paired up to play AT the National Championship’s place in the first first round of the 12 team CFB Playoffs…
— Vol Report (@AllVolReport) January 21, 2025
All you can do is laugh 😭 pic.twitter.com/uEUqb0vOQi
Tennessee was set up for failure at the start of the CFP
In the Ohio State win over Tennessee, quarterback Will Howard ended up throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores going to freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith. With the youngster torching the Tennessee secondary, even Tim Banks was getting ripped to shreds.
However, Smith then went on to dominate the Oregon defense, adding 187 yards and two more scores against the Ducks. After being held to one catch against Texas, Smith bounced back in the title game, highlighted by his game-sealing 57-yard catch with things on the line.
It turns out Tennessee wasn't the only squad who had issues trying to slow down Howard and Co. in the playoff. Looking ahead to next season, the Vols will be motivated to go on a deeper CFP run. This past campaign can be considered a success, as 10 wins is nothing to sneeze at.