
Ohio State football players acted as if Saturday’s College Football Playoff game at The Horseshoe was actually a road game because Tennessee fans took over their pregame walk. A sea of Orange completely overwhelmed a smattering of scarlet and grey.
It was a bizarre scene in Columbus as the rabid Volunteers proudly planted their metaphorical (and literal) flag at what they referred to as ‘Neyland North.’
The day started at 9:00 a.m. ET when College Gameday went live from outside Ohio Stadium. Kirk Herbstreit said he has never seen such a large contingency of visiting fans at any of their shows, dating back to 1993. The Buckeyes were outnumbered no less than 3-1.
“29th year of doing @CollegeGameDay and this is by far the most fans from the visiting team I’ve ever seen”@KirkHerbstreit #GBO | @CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/EtsdAgGA1N
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 21, 2024
Tennessee fans were already on campus so they kept the party going. You could hear ‘Rocky Top’ echoing throughout the city all afternoon.
I mean, they didn’t nickname it Neyland North for nothing! 👀🍊 #GBO @wbir pic.twitter.com/hlqw0qkeIP
— Brittany Bailey (@BrittBaileyTV) December 21, 2024
Even the bars were at maximum capacity. Vol Nation made up the majority of patrons.
Parlay’s is officially a Tennessee bar. Very little scarlet in here. #CFBPlayoff #GBO pic.twitter.com/5qOfaZfL1z
— Dominic Webster (@DomWebsterTV) December 21, 2024
Now, we must be fair and balanced here. Ohio State fans were able to drink beer from their fridge in the comfort of their own homes, which have heat. They didn’t need to go to the bars.
Still, the Tennessee takeover was very real. Someone set up a merch stand for the away team!!
BUCKEYES GET TO THE SHOE! I just left the Gameday set and they’re actually selling Tennessee gear on campus. pic.twitter.com/QRlxwSzsfG
— Stephanie Otey (@StephOtey) December 21, 2024
Some of the fans with time to kill even walked around Ohio State’s campus and covered up all of the ‘Os’ like Michigan does in Ann Arbor prior to The Game. That’s a tough look…
VOLS STEPPING UP TO HELP MICHIGAN ON ❌HI❌ STATE’S CAMPUS
— Barstool Rocky Top (@BarstoolTenn) December 21, 2024
We got you @BarstoolUofM
Go Vols 🤝 Go Big Blue pic.twitter.com/cyXXTajDpg
The players eventually arrived outside of the stadium as kickoff neared closer. Here is how it looked when Tennessee got off of the bus for an away game:
Josh Heupel went straight from the bus to the fans waiting. pic.twitter.com/p7M3LOLgiY
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 21, 2024
Here is how it looked when Ohio State got off the bus for a home game:
🚨BREAKING: VOL NATION has literally taken over whatever pregame ritual Ohio State had with the team walking into Neyland North.
— Matt Morris (@mattdubyamorris) December 21, 2024
ZERO BUCKEYES IN SIGHT.
*Not going to lie, if I was a OSU player I wouldn’t know if I should be motivated or depressed. pic.twitter.com/b9Ed9aH7U3
The Buckeyes looked completely shellshocked. They were ruthlessly heckled by opposing fans at their own pregame walk. It looked more like the game was being played in Knoxville, not Columbus.
That was equally true inside the stadium! Orange was everywhere.
Oh my pic.twitter.com/8eHtzPpK9C
— CHANNEL TN (@CHANNEL_TN_) December 22, 2024
At the very least, the crowd was split like a neutral site bowl game, not an Ohio State home game.
I’ll be honest, I expected a lot of Tennessee orange, but my goodness. pic.twitter.com/84DWwwtpIo
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 22, 2024
‘Rocky Top’ echoed throughout the stadium as if it was Neyland.
Rocky Top thunders throughout Ohio Stadium. It’s remarkable. More than 30,000 Tennessee fans expected. pic.twitter.com/zEeYA1JRUy
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 22, 2024
Ohio State fans eventually filled in to take back majority, but it was absolutely one of the most insane takeovers in college football history. Tennessee fans showed up and showed out from morning to night!c