Former Alabama quarterback/ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy has made his prediction for the first round College Football Playoff showdown between the Tennessee Vols and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Tennessee and Ohio State will take the field at 8:00 PM ET on Saturday night in Columbus. The winner of the game will advance to the quarterfinals to take on the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
McElroy thinks Ohio State will be at their best against Tennessee, which is why he’s taking the Buckeyes to win on Saturday night.
And not only does McElroy think Ohio State will win, he also believes they’ll win “comfortably”.
“I’m taking Ohio State in the game,” said McElroy on Always College Football . “I’m actually going to lay the points. I also think it’s going to be a low-scoring affair. I think way too much attention has been paid to the shortcomings of Ohio State in their most recent game. And not enough attention is being paid to the great moments that Ohio State had throughout the other 11 games of the season.
“I think we see Ohio State’s best in this performance. I think Ryan Day knows they need it. I think the defensive plan will slow down an offense that at times has been a little bit inconsistent. And I think their defensive front will take advantage of the edges of the offensive line for Tennessee and create a lot of problems for Nico Iamaleava. I like Ohio State to win this game comfortably. And I also think their defense will slow down Tennessee in the process.”