Christmas Comes Early vs. Tennessee and A Big New Year’s Battle with Oregon Awaits

Ohio State fans got their Christmas present four days early.In front of a raucous Ohio Stadium crowd that gave the Buckeyes plenty of energy despite a Tennessee takeover attempt, Ohio State gave its fans everything they could have asked for in a 42-17 dismantling of the Volunteers that reestablished the Buckeyes as a national championship contender and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.The next round could be the biggest hurdle in the Buckeyes’ path to actually winning a national championship, as they face the CFP’s No. 1 seed in a New Year’s Day battle with Oregon at the Rose Bowl, but our belief in Ohio State’s ability to beat the Ducks is much higher than it was a week ago based on its performance against the Volunteers.We recap what made Ohio State’s showing against Tennessee so impressive and look ahead to the Buckeyes’ rematch with Oregon on our Christmas episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page or listen to in the audio player below.The full rundown for the show:0:00 Improved Offensive Line Play, Offensive Game Plan Leads to Tour De Force Performance4:37 Will Howard Demonstrates NFL-Caliber Passing Ability in His Best Game As A Buckeye Yet6:45 Did Ohio State Learn Lessons from The Game or Just Not Take Michigan Seriously Enough?16:10 Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau Lead Elite Defensive Effort vs. Tennessee20:32 Buckeye Fans Show Out, CFP Gives OSU Blueprint to Continue Improving Game Environment26:51 Whoever Wins Ohio State vs. Oregon Will Be Our Pick to Win the National Championship31:19 Three Options for Fixing the Unbalanced Seeding in the College Football Playoff Bracket34:47 Pass Defense, Offensive Line Must Prove Their Improvement is Real vs. Oregon43:55 Why We’re Both Taking the Over in Ohio State vs. Oregon45:13 Why We’re Leaning Ever-So-Slightly Toward Picking the Buckeyes to Beat the Ducks