Ohio State vs. Tennessee football picks: What the oddsmakers say

The first-round of a historic College Football Playoff finds an on-campus matchup between Tennessee and Ohio State. Here’s the latest prediction for the game from the oddsmakers.

Ohio State is four combined points away from being undefeated, if not for losses to Oregon and a stunner to Michigan in the finale that disqualified it from playing for the Big Ten title.

Tennessee didn’t play for the SEC crown after a late-season loss to Georgia, but still boasts one of college football’s most productive defensive units, ranking 4th nationally. Ohio State is 1st in total defense in FBS.

What do the wiseguys expect will happen as the Volunteers visit the Buckeyes in this historic matchup?

Let’s take a look at the latest prediction for Ohio State vs. Tennessee in this College Football Playoff game, according to the oddsmakers.

Ohio State vs. Tennessee odds, picks

Ohio State is a 7.5 point favorite against Tennessee, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook for the matchup.

FanDuel lists the total at 46.5 points for the game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -275 and for Tennessee at +220 to win outright.

Ohio State: -7.5 (-105)
Tennessee: +7.5 (-115)

Over 46.5 points: -112
Under 46.5 points: -108

Ohio State vs. Tennessee trends

The total went over in 4 of Tennessee’s last 5 games ...

Ohio State is 4-4 ATS as the home favorite this season ...

Tennessee is 0-1 ATS as the road underdog in ‘24 ...

The total went under in 4 of Ohio State’s last 5 games at home ...

Tennessee is 5-13 against the spread in its last 18 games as the underdog ...

Ohio State is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games on Saturday at home ...

Tennessee is 3-1 against the spread (75%) against ranked opponents ...

Ohio State is 2-1 (66.7%) ATS against ranked teams ...

Tennessee is 4-0 against the spread in non-conference games; Ohio State is 1-2 ...

Ohio State is 2-8 straight-up against SEC teams in its last 10 chances ...

Tennessee is 3-2 against the spread in road games this year ...

Ohio State is 6-6 ATS as the favorite in 2024 ...

Spread consensus pick, score prediction

So far, a large plurality of bettors expect the Volunteers to make this a game against the Buckeyes, according to the latest spread consensus picks for the game.

Tennessee is getting nearly 7 in 10 bets -- 68 percent of them -- to either win the game outright in an upset, or keep the margin within a touchdown in a loss.

The other 32 percent of wagers project Ohio State will win the game and cover the point spread.

The game’s implied score suggests a narrow victory for the Buckeyes over the Vols.

When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Ohio State will defeat Tennessee by a projected score of 27 to 20.

Our early pick: Tennessee +7.5 ... We’re taking the Vols straight-up over the Buckeyes. They have a demonstrable advantage on the defensive front against OSU’s injury-depleted line, and their fourth-ranked defense has been tested against better opposition than Ohio State’s top-ranked D has been.

How to watch Ohio State vs. Tennessee

When: Sat., Dec. 21
Where: Columbus, Ohio

Time: 8 p.m. Eastern
TV: ABC and ESPN networks

More ... 2024 college football bowl schedule

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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