Tennessee fans storm Ohio Stadium for the CFP game against Ohio State Football

The invasion was predicted.

On Saturday night, Ohio State took on Tennessee in a College Football Playoff game. It was the Buckeyes’ first home playoff game in school history, the result of the new 12-team field, with the higher seeds hosting first-round games.

When the game began, the crowd was about 30% volunteer supporters, according to estimates by Dispatch reporters covering the game. It was almost certainly the largest visiting squad ever to make it to Ohio Stadium.

This included Thom Campbell, a descendant of Davy Crockett, who traveled about eight hours to watch his team.

“We’re real Vols fans,” he said, pointing to his 7-year-old son, Patrick, who was wearing a Squirrel White jersey. “I was in the 1998 championship when I was in school and… I have some regrets at the time because I didn’t go to Tempe and watch them win the game. We were fortunate that some Ohio State fans provided us with some tickets so here we are.”

The Buckeyes promoted the game as a “Scarlet Out,” with fans asked to find winter coats in OSU colors and players wearing scarlet jerseys and pants. However, there were several signs that “The Shoe” would feature large orange pockets.

Earlier this week, SeatGeek said 42% of tickets resold on its platform went to Tennessee residents, while just 23% went to Ohio residents. The out-of-towners also had a win on StubHub, where – as of Tuesday morning – 37% of tickets went to Tennessee residents while 34% were purchased by Ohioans.

Randy Boyd, president of the University of Tennessee, said he was informed by his counterpart at Ohio State University, Ted Carter, that “the stadium could be 30% orange on game day.”

Ohio State police had even vowed to prevent Ohio Stadium’s goalposts from entering the Olentangy River.

By Saturday morning, it was already clear that a number of Tennessee fans had traveled to Columbus. It wasn’t entirely obvious that these fans would be in the stadium. But they actually made it through the gates.

That wouldn’t have shocked Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, who said Monday: “It’s a nice short drive there (to Columbus, Ohio). “Christmas is coming and (a CFP ticket) would be a great Christmas present.”

While Heupel described it as a “nice short ride,” Jennifer and Danny Rokisky said their trip was wet and snowy. Their journey lasted about six hours.

“We had heard some horror stories, but we were treated pretty well,” says Jennifer Rokisky. “Everyone was really nice.”

“We had a warm welcome, except for the weather,” she added with a laugh.

“But let’s wait until after the game,” chimed in Danny Rokiksky, also laughing.

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