This Saturday will mark the Ohio State Buckeye’s sixth appearance in the College Football Playoffs, but this year’s tournament will be historic for other reasons.
The new 12-team playoff bracket brings with it a new aspect of this year’s postseason: home games. The Buckeyes played in three night games this season, but only one at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 7. Ohio Stadium has never played host to a December football home game.
More:Is Ohio Stadium ready for a playoff game? What to know about OSU vs. Tennessee
The No. 8 seed Buckeyes will host No. 9 Tennessee in a first-round game Saturday at 8 p.m. Both teams are vying for a quarterfinals spot to play the Oregon Ducks on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl.
Here’s your fan’s guide to Ohio State’s College Football Playoff game:
What is the game day schedule?
Tailgating and parking lots open Saturday at 5 a.m.
ESPN’s College Gameday will go live at 9 a.m.
Forgot your hat and gloves? Ohio State’s team shop opens at 4 p.m.
The ticket office and Buckeye Gameday Fan Fest, a free community tailgate hosted by the university near St. John Arena, will start at 5 p.m.
The gates at Ohio Stadium will officially open at 6 p.m., two hours before kickoff.
Where can I park?
All on-campus lots and garages that aren’t designated for season permit holders will be sold on a “Day-of-Game” basis only, according to the university. Those lots and garages will open at 5 a.m.
Day-of-Game proximity lots are $40 and non-proximity lots are sold for $30. Parking is sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and all sales are cashless. Credit and debit cards, as well as smartphone payments, are accepted.
Ohio State University Police Chief Dennis Jeffrey told reporters Tuesday afternoon that using the free shuttles that run on game days is a great way to avoid traffic.
CampusParc, Ohio State’s parking vendor, offers free park-and-ride services on game days. Park on west campus near Carmenton and take a free shuttle that picks up in the Mount Hall Loop and drops off at the Plumb Hall Loop, which is a short walk to Ohio Stadium. It also updates which campus parking lots are filling up on its social media channels.
Will there be pre-game festivities?
Ohio State said it will host a record number of pre-game shows on campus between Friday and Saturday. They include ESPN’s College Game Day, BTN Tailgate, SEC Nation, Pat McAfee’s Field Pass and the Scott Van Pelt Show.
This will mark the first time in its long history that College GameDaywill air from two different campus sites within 24 hours, according to Sport’s Illustrated. The show will be in South Bend, Indiana on Friday for the Notre Dame-Indiana playoff game.
In addition to the pre-game shows, Ohio State will also host Buckeye Gameday Fan Fest, a free community tailgate. Fan Fest is open to fans of all ages and includes food, games, giveaways and live music. The party starts at 5 p.m. and is located outside of the Ice Rink and St. John Arena in Remembrance Park.
Will TBDBITL perform?
Ohio State’s marching band has a packed regular schedule for the playoff game.
The Best Damn Band in the Land will hold its usual open outdoor rehearsal at Lincoln Tower Field. However, because it is a night game, what is typically a morning rehearsal will start at 3:30 p.m., said band spokesperson Konner Barr.
Skull Session, the band’s final run-through, will kick off at 5:40 p.m. inside St. John Arena. Head Coach Ryan Day, assistant coaches and Buckeye players are expected to make a Skull Session appearance before they head to the stadium. The band will perform its pregame and halftime shows one more time before they march over to the Shoe.
More:From Skull Session to ‘Carmen Ohio,’ here’s your primer on Ohio State’s football traditions
One slight change from the band’s regular season pre-game show is that it will do a “double Script Ohio,” Barr said.
Both schools’ bands will get 6 minutes, 30 seconds to perform as part of the 22-minute halftime. Barr said. TBDBITL will perform its “Pirates of the Shoe” halftime routine, which the band played earlier this season during the Indiana game.
What will the energy be like inside Ohio Stadium?
Block O, Ohio State’s official student section, will be hard at work keeping the energy up throughout the game.
Adam Smith, a third-year accounting major and Block O’s football director, said the group is treating this playoff game like a “big-time, regular season game” and the atmosphere will reflect that.
“The south end should be rocking again,” Smith said, referring to the Shoe’s student section. “We’ll be doing what we do best which is creating an atmosphere, perfecting our craft and driving the noise.
OSU is encouraging fans to wear scarlet attire to Ohio Stadium for a “scarlet out.” Smith said there will almost certainly be some body painting in the Shoe before kickoff.
In addition to the typical pre-game festivities around the Shoe, Athletic Director Ross Bjork said last week there will also be plenty of pyrotechnics and a drone show. “We want to go all in,” he said.
Smith said he’s pumped to see a playoff game in the Shoe — and is ready to show the Vols what Ohio State can do. He was particularly fired up about comments made by former Ohio State safety Andre Turrentine last week.
Turrentine, who will return to play at Ohio State for the first time since transferring from the Buckeyes to Tennessee ahead of the 2022 college football season, told reporters that “the Shoe isn’t as loud as the SEC, it’s a different animal here.”
“He’ll see for himself Saturday,” Smith said.
How cold will it be?
According to the National Weather Service, Saturday will be mostly clear with a high near 27 degrees Fahrenheit and a low around 17 degrees. Snow and rain are unlikely this weekend in Columbus. There are currently no strong signs of precipitation “outside of the odd flurry.”
But it’s December in Ohio. Who is really to say how cold it will be?
More:What will weather be for Ohio State vs Tennessee game in College Football Playoff?
Ohio State has been preparing the Shoe for a potential December game since the CFP announced the possibility two years ago.
The university has repaired all existing heat trace piping for cold water piping, continues to add heat trace piping and sanitary drops in B, C and D decks and added 96 portable heaters to concession stands, with permanent heaters on the way.
Ohio Stadium will also have plumbers — both university and contracted — on standby next week and at the game in case of emergency. In the case of snow, it has planned for and purchased the necessary equipment for snow removal.
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
@sheridan120
