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 consecutive 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 unbeaten No. 1 Indiana in the Big Ten national championship. Miami made its CFP debut with a 10-3 win at Texas A&M on Dec. 20. The Hurricanes' last nationwide 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 against the Miami secondary. Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 backyards and 11 goals, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 backyards and nine TDs even after missing three games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have actually permitted only 11 passing TDs - Ohio State is the national leader at 6, and among only 5 teams offering up less. Miami freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald had 2 interceptions against Texas A&M and is tied 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 three of Miami's seven sacks in the first-round win over Texas A&M.
Ohio State: finalist Julian Sayin has thrown for 3,323 lawns with 32 TDs and six interceptions. The sophomore quarterback is the nationwide leader finishing 78.4% of his passes (279 of 356). He was Will Howard's backup for last season's champion group.
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 because. ... Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, has a 35-5 record as an FBS starter. That.875 winning percentage is the best for any active player with a minimum of 5 video games. ... Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 backyards rushing in the first round at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks very first or second 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 third consecutive Cotton Bowl appearance. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri 2 years ago when it wasn't a playoff game. ... Ohio State All-America security Caleb Downs is set to be the only gamer in the country to begin in the last 3 CFPs. He began for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.
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