Defending National Champion Ohio State Faces CFP 1st-time Miami In

No. 10 Miami (11-2, CFP No. 10 seed) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (12-1, CFP No. 2 seed), Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)


BetMGM Sportsbook College Football Odds: Ohio State by 9 1/2.


Series record: Ohio State leads 3-2.


Defending national champion Ohio State is attempting to win its second successive Cotton Bowl, this one a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game after it was a CFP semifinal last January when the Buckeyes beat Texas. This is the seventh CFP appearance for Ohio State, which got a first-round bye in the 12-team field even after a loss to undefeated No. 1 Indiana in the Big Ten champion video game. Miami made its CFP launching with a 10-3 win at Texas A&M on Dec. 20. The Hurricanes' last national title was in the 2001 season. The winner advances to the CFP semifinals to play the Sugar Bowl winner, No. 3 seed Georgia or No. 6 seed Ole Miss, in the Fiesta Bowl.


Ohio State receivers All-America sophomore Jeremiah Smith and senior Carnell Tate versus the Miami secondary. Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 lawns and 11 goals, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 yards and nine TDs even after missing out on three games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have allowed only 11 passing TDs - Ohio State is the national leader at 6, and one of just five groups giving up less. Miami freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald had 2 interceptions versus Texas A&M and is connected for the P4 lead with 6.


Miami: Defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor are both considered top edge rush potential customers for the upcoming NFL draft. Mesidor has seven sacks and 12 deals with for loss. Bain, a second-team AP All-America choice, had 3 of Miami's seven sacks in the first-round win over Texas A&M.


Ohio State: Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin has tossed for 3,323 with 32 TDs and 6 interceptions. The sophomore quarterback is the national leader completing 78.4% of his passes (279 of 356). He was Will Howard's backup for last season's championship group.


The only other time these groups fulfilled in the postseason was in the Fiesta Bowl in January 2003, which was for the championship game. Ohio State won in double overtime to keep the Hurricanes from winning back-to-back titles. Miami hasn't won one because. ... Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, has a 35-5 record as an FBS starter. That.875 winning portion is the best for any active player with at least 5 games. ... Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 yards rushing in the first round at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks first or 2nd nationally in 9 different defensive classifications, including No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a video game) and passing lawns per video game (129.1 ). ... This is Ohio State's 3rd consecutive Cotton Bowl appearance. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri two years earlier when it wasn't a championship game. ... Ohio State All-America safety Caleb Downs is set to be the only player in the nation to start in the last three CFPs. He began for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.


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