Tennessee should take, solace, confidence and, perhaps, be a bit concerned with Ohio State’s postseason success. There are many emotions at play. It’s complicated.
The Vols’ one-sided, 42-17 loss to the Buckeyes doesn’t look nearly as bad now that Ohio State is headed to the national championship game to play Notre Dame after the Buckeyes beat Texas 28-14 in the college football semifinals. It should also give the Vols’ something to strive for.
If Ohio State’s offense, which is very similar to Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s attack, can have success, then so can the Vols. No one has figured out either offense to the extent that scheme just won’t work. It’s ultimately about players – and Ohio State has had more. That will likely continue in the coming seasons.
The problem is two-fold when the focus goes from Columbus to Knoxville. Tennessee just does’t have as much talent as Ohio State, which also does a much better job of incorporating multiple receivers, especially young ones, than Tennessee into its offense. Can the Vols replicate Ohio State’s roster in the coming years? Maybe, but it won’t be easy.
Although it’s not a clear indicator of NIL booster support, overall athletic department revenue can be a good method of determining what a school has to spend on players. If boosters will write schools a check to build buildings, they’ll also drop some coin on players who can rack up touchdowns and sacks.
Ohio State nor Tennessee’s complete NIL budget is known and probably never will be. Players at any school can broker outside NIL deals, so we’ll likely never know just how much a specific player has made in college unless we’re selling him a car or house. There is no proof of income required to run into the end zone.
The Buckeyes have an eye-opening budget of $225-million annually, which is tops in the nation. Tennessee has an annual budget of $154-million, which is 18th in the nation. That’s a big difference.
The Vols may never be able to make up that financial gap, which means they have to be more astute at talent evaluation, developing players, keeping them happy in orange and winning more than their fair share of recruiting battles. Tennessee, like most every school in the nation, will have to do the same to compete with Ohio State given their significant financial advantage.
The 12-team College Football Playoff makes Ohio State every bit the rival that Alabama or Florida is for the Vols. To win the ultimate prize, which is a national championship, Tennessee will probably have to go through the Buckeyes at some point in the coming years – or another team that can spend more NIL cash. As well financed as the Buckeyes are, that could be a tough task to accomplish given the financial disadvantage that Tennessee, and most every other team in the nation, has in the coming years.
Tennessee used to have to beat an SEC team, often times Florida, to win a championship years. Now, the Gators are just one of many teams in the nation that stand in the Vols way to win the ultimate trophy. As far as an SEC title, that has become about as significant as a college basketball tournament championship. Yippee!
It’s unfortunate that the whole matter comes down to money. In case you’re wondering, the other semifinal participants, Texas and Penn State, which were also in the college football semifinals, have the second ($239-million) and ninth ($181-million) overall budgets in the nation, respectively. Notre Dame’s finances aren’t available since it is a private institution.
If Tennessee fans are astute enough, they need to be hoping for a players’ union, which would most likely then lead to a salary cap and even the NIL playing field. The financial deficit between the best Big Ten schools and SEC schools will likely continue to grow considering the current television contracts are set to dole out more money to Big Ten schools.
In a bubble, Tennessee was thought to be NIL masters when it was unveiled in 2021. The Vols got a guy named Nico, most transfers they wanted and didn’t seem to lose any prospects due to just cold, hard cash. However, there were probably some back-room meetings that undermined Tennessee or any SEC team’s chances to win over a prospect just because of Big Ten money. We just don’t know all the dirty details.
On the field, the Vols can win just like Ohio State has done, with an explosive offense, if they can get the same sort of talent. That’s easier said than done. It’s complicated.
