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 nationwide champion Ohio State is trying 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 undefeated No. 1 Indiana in the Big Ten champion game. Miami made its CFP debut with a 10-3 win at Texas A&M on Dec. 20. The Hurricanes' 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 versus the Miami secondary. Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 backyards and 11 goals, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 lawns and 9 TDs even after missing out on 3 games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have actually allowed only 11 passing TDs - Ohio State is the national leader at 6, and one of just 5 teams providing up less. Miami freshman security 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 potential customers for the upcoming NFL draft. Mesidor has 7 sacks and 12 takes on for loss. Bain, a second-team AP All-America pick, 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 thrown for 3,323 yards with 32 TDs and six 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 championship team.
The only other time these teams satisfied 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 since. ... Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, has a 35-5 record as an FBS starter. That.875 winning portion is the very best for any active gamer with at least five games. ... Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 lawns hurrying in the first round at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks first or 2nd nationally in 9 different defensive categories, consisting of No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a video game) and passing yards per video game (129.1 ). ... This is Ohio State's third successive Cotton Bowl appearance. 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 country to begin in the last three CFPs. He began for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.
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