The doubters are out in full force when it comes to the Tennessee Vols football team. On Saturday night, Josh Heupel and Co. will be taking on Ohio State in Columbus. This is a matchup that a lot of people think the Buckeyes will have no issues with.
Tennessee is a six-point underdog. Not only that, but the oddsmakers over in Vegas don't think the Vols are going to have a prayer in pushing for a trip to the National Championship Game. That's right, the latest odds out of Vegas have Tennessee as a longshot to make the title game at 40-to-1. Even Arizona State (33-to-1) has been given a better chance. Come on.
Tennessee is hoping to silence all of their haters in the CFP first round
This is nothing new for the program. First up on Saturday will be Ohio State. Should the Vols end up pulling off the upset, a dance with No. 1 Oregon will be on the way. Those contests will be played in Columbus and Eugene, respectively.
Yes, Tennessee has an uphill climb to reach the final, but once you get to this stage, things are wide open. As for the Buckeyes, are we just going to forget that they lost to Michigan at The Shoe to end the regular season? Yeah, they looked brutal on offense in that one.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks is going to have a great plan to keep Will Howard contained. This showdown is going to be won/lost in the trenches. Luckily for the Vols, SEC Player of the Year/star running back Dylan Sampson is feeling better than he has in weeks.
On top of that, Nico Iamaleava, Bru McCoy and others are going to be ready to make plays for the aerial attack. Should Tennessee get through OSU, a fun matchup with Oregon would be great to see. Vols fans are going to invade The Shoe and then they'll make their way to Eugene too if things work out that way. It all depends on what happens this weekend, but the latest natty odds should only give this team even more motivation.