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 champ Ohio State is attempting to win its 2nd consecutive Cotton Bowl, this one a College Football Playoff quarterfinal video game after it was a CFP semifinal last January when the Buckeyes beat Texas. This is the seventh CFP look for Ohio State, which got a first-round bye in the 12-team field even after a loss to unbeaten No. 1 Indiana in the Big Ten national championship. Miami made its CFP launching with a 10-3 win at Texas A&M on Dec. 20. The last national title remained 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 against the Miami secondary. Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 backyards and 11 touchdowns, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 yards and nine TDs even after missing out on three video games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have actually enabled just 11 passing TDs - Ohio State is the nationwide leader at 6, and among just 5 groups offering up less. Miami freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald had 2 interceptions against 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 prospects for the upcoming NFL draft. Mesidor has seven sacks and 12 takes on 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 actually tossed for 3,323 lawns with 32 TDs and 6 interceptions. The sophomore quarterback is the nationwide leader completing 78.4% of his passes (279 of 356). He was Will Howard's backup for last season's champion team.


The only other time these groups fulfilled in the postseason remained 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 given that. ... Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, has a 35-5 record as an FBS starter. That.875 winning portion is the finest for any active player with a minimum of 5 video games. ... Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 lawns entering the very first round at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks first or 2nd nationally in nine different defensive categories, including No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a game) and passing backyards per video game (129.1 ). ... This is Ohio State's third consecutive Cotton Bowl look. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri two years ago when it wasn't a playoff video 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 started for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.


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