No. 9 seed Tennessee will make its first visit to No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN), but Volunteers safety Andre Turrentine will be in a familiar setting at Ohio Stadium for the first-round matchup of the College Football Playoff.
He played in four games for the Buckeyes (10-2) as a freshman in 2021 before the Nashville native joined the Vols.
“I know a lot of guys on that team, so just having that brotherhood and camaraderie from being a freshman there is going to be big in this game and big for me personally,” said Turrentine, a redshirt junior.
He has 35 tackles and one interception in starting all 12 games for the Vols (10-2) this season.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles feels prepared for Tennessee’s fast-paced offense, which averages 74.6 plays per game to rank 11th nationally.
“Our defense is built for tempo,” he said.
–No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1) quarterback Riley Leonard loves the idea of playing for a national championship, but as he told Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports, the matchup with the No. 10 Hoosiers (11-1) on Friday in South Bend, Ind., (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN) is also about regional pride.
“It’s huge for the state of Indiana. We’ve been talking about it becoming a football state,” he said. “It’s notorious for basketball, for obvious reasons.”
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on how the game will play out: “I think we’re plus-15 on turnover ratio, and they’re plus-16. So, ball security for us and them is going to be really important — winning the turnover battle.”
–Even though No. 6 Penn State (11-2) lost to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Nittany Lions were buoyed by running for 292 yards. Now, they host No. 11 SMU (11-2), which is ranked fourth nationally at 93.4 rushing yards allowed per game.
“Our expectation is that that’s what we’re supposed to do every single game,” Penn State center Nick Dawkins said. “I don’t think it matters the opponent that we played against.”
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee on the perceived advantage Penn State will have with a forecast high of 28 degrees: “They have to play in it just like we do and I don’t think they’ve played a game at home on Dec. 21, either. I don’t think the weather is a big deal.”
–No. 5 Texas coach Steve Sarkisian expects big things from quarterback Quinn Ewers when the Longhorns (11-2) host No. 12 Clemson on Saturday (4 p.m., TNT/MAX).
“We’ve all got to take our game to another level, and he’s no different, right?” Sarkisian said. “He’s got to do it.”
Actor Matthew McConaughey is a Longhorns super fan but that doesn’t mean much to defensive lineman T.J. Parker of Clemson (10-3).
“I don’t know who that is,” the sophomore said on Tuesday. “I may know his face, but not by name. I don’t know him.”
–Field Level Media