Tennessee plays more than 550 miles from Knoxville, but the Vols may just feel right at home in Columbus, where they will face Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Less than an hour before kickoff against the Buckeyes, tons of Tennessee Oranges flooded Ohio Stadium.
Photos and videos posted by reporters in attendance show large groups of Tennessee fans spread out above and below the bowl.
Ohio State even gave Tennessee’s Pride of Southland Marching Band a spot near one of the end zones. During pregame warmups, Pride played Tennessee’s unofficial fight song, “Rocky Top,” and it wasn’t hard to hear Vols fans singing along.
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork expressed concerns earlier this week about Tennessee’s fans and their ability to travel for away games.
Bjork appeared on “97.1 The Fan” in Columbus and said, “What I’m asking the Buckeyes to do is wear Scarlet clothes and not sell tickets because Tennessee fans are passionate fans.” ” he said. “They’ll get into your shoes, so don’t let too much orange get in there.”
Tennessee may need all the help it can get to get through the chaos on its roads. All of the Vols’ losses this season came outside of friendlies at Neyland Stadium, including a 19-14 loss to unranked Arkansas.
