Vols heading to Columbus
By Mark Nagi
In December 2020, Tennessee athletics was an absolute mess. The Vols finished a 3-7 Covid season under head coach Jeremy Pruitt. A few weeks later, Pruitt would be fired for recruiting violations and athletics director Phillip Fulmer would “retire.”
It was one of the darkest times in the proud history of Tennessee athletics.
Four years later, the University of Tennessee has, arguably one of the best athletics departments in the entire country. Men’s basketball made it to the Elite 8 last March and is currently ranked Number 1 in the nation. The Lady Vols softball team won the SEC last spring. The Lady Vols basketball team is nationally ranked under new head coach Kim Caldwell. Every sport on campus made it to the postseason during the 2023-2024 academic school year.
And now the football program, the “front door of the university,” is back among the nation’s elite.
Even with unbalanced schedules and a bloated league of 16 teams, finishing the regular season at 10-2 with a 6-2 mark in conference play is an impressive accomplishment. That’s what the Tennessee Volunteers did this season. And that earned them a spot in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Because college football’s power brokers can’t get anything right the first time (and often not at all), Tennessee doesn’t get a home game, despite being ranked 7th. The system agreed upon for some reason ends up with Boise State and Arizona State getting first-round byes. The Vols will hit the road to play a reeling 10-2 Ohio State squad on Saturday night.
There’s been a lot of talk about how the cold will affect Tennessee, playing a game in the heart of Ohio in late December. Apparently, those people believe that Knoxville is located on the equator. Yes, it does get cold in East Tennessee. The end result should not be credited to the weather.
This game is a rematch of the 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl, a classic matchup in a pre-playoff era won by the Vols 20-14. Bill Duff’s stop on Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George on 4th and inches near the Tennessee goal line is one of the great plays in the history of Tennessee football. The Vols finished the season ranked 3rd in the country and won the national championship three years later.
This time around, it feels like two programs heading in opposite directions. The Vols have won a combined 30 games the last three seasons. They have the upper hand on their biggest rival, beating Alabama two of the last three years. Tennessee still needs to get a win over Georgia, who they have lost to eight years in a row, but there are few who would not recognize the incredible rebuild performed by head coach Josh Heupel.
On the other hand, right now Ohio State football is a toxic environment. Head coach Ryan Day wins just about every game, except those played against their biggest rival, Michigan. Going 1-4 against the Wolverines, including losing four straight, is unacceptable in Columbus, and can’t be good for his long-term future at OSU. If Tennessee can get off to a good start this weekend, the boo birds will be loud at The Shoe.
It feels like every big game is a “statement” game for Tennessee. And I guess this falls into that category as well. The Vols need to prove that they can beat a quality opponent on the road, something they’ve done sparingly in Heupel’s tenure. A victory in Columbus would probably knock that monkey off his back.
We will find out around midnight on Saturday if the Vols need to make plans for the Rose Bowl and a meeting with top-ranked Oregon.
