Watch: Tennessee players go shirtless in chilling weather of Ohio for pregame warmups against the Buckeyes
In photos shared on social media on Saturday, Tennessee players were seen warming up in the freezing Ohio weather shirtless during pregame warmups against the Buckeyes. This marked their final first-round matchup in the College Football Playoff.
The Volunteers not only faced the challenge of a formidable Ohio State team but also battled sub-zero temperatures, a stark contrast to the milder conditions of their SEC home field. Ultimately, Tennessee fell 42-17 to the Buckeyes, bowing out in the opening round.
With the temperature at 25 degrees, Tennessee had already rallied their fans to show strong support in Columbus. Their players, however, took a bold approach to the freezing conditions, warming up shirtless before the game.
Knoxville News Sentinel writer Mike Wilson noted the players quickly put shirts back on, as NCAA rules require jerseys with visible numbers during warmups.
Meanwhile, Ohio State proved to be anything but gracious hosts on Saturday night. The Buckeyes dominated the Volunteers, delivering a resounding victory and washing away some of the sting from their regular-season finale loss to Michigan.
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Under the cold skies of Ohio Stadium, a sizable sea of orange from Tennessee showed up
Tennessee football fans showed up in force against Ohio State. It was concerning for the Tennessee faithful, who traveled in huge numbers, to see how easily Ohio State’s offense dominated UT’s highly regarded defensive front.
The Vols' fans made a statement on ESPN’s College GameDay.
“(This is) the 29th year doing College GameDay and this is by far the most fans from a visiting team that I’ve ever seen at a College GameDay. By far.” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said [H/t Columbus Dispatch].
Meanwhile, Ohio State had something to prove. After three long weeks stewing over a deflating loss to Michigan, missing out on the Big Ten title game and falling to the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes were ready to make a statement.
Under the cold skies of Ohio Stadium, in front of 102,819 fans, including a sizable sea of orange from Tennessee, the Buckeyes reminded everyone why they had championship aspirations. Ohio State stormed to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to a commanding 42-17 victory over Tennessee.