Tennessee football fans are making waves, and not everyone is thrilled about it.
Ohio State's athletic director, Ross Bjork, recently urged Buckeye fans to hold onto their tickets as Tennessee's passionate fanbase, affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) called "rabid," prepares to storm Columbus for the upcoming playoff showdown.
"Tennessee fans, they're rabid fans," he said. "They are going to invade the Shoe. Let's make sure we don't have as much orange in there as people think."
This game marks a historic moment in college football: the first round of the new 12-team playoff format. And with that comes an electric matchup between the Buckeyes and the Vols, two programs with a rich football tradition and, evidently, fanbases that aren't shy about showing up in droves.
Tennessee was officially allocated a mere 3,500 tickets in the over 102,000-seat Ohio Stadium. However, Volunteer fans are notorious for finding creative ways to snag tickets when demand is high.
Bjork’s comments to local radio station 97.1 The Fan showed genuine concern about an orange invasion, saying, “Tennessee fans are going to do whatever they can to get into the Shoe.”
For Tennessee supporters, it’s about more than just a game. The Vols have been waiting for this time to come for quite a while.
It's been legitimately decades since the Volunteers were in the hunt for a national championship, and now they have their chance. Of course, a trip to Columbus followed by a game against the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks isn't going to be the easiest path, but Tennessee has a chance nonetheless.
Ohio State is considered a slight favorite in the game, but this is one that could very easily come down to the last possession.
Tennessee and Ohio State will kickoff at 8:00 p.m. E.T. on Saturday, December 21. The game will be televised on ABC.