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 2nd 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 championship game. 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 lawns and 11 goals, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 backyards and 9 TDs even after missing 3 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 one of just five teams giving up less. Miami freshman security Bryce Fitzgerald had two interceptions versus Texas A&M and is tied for the P4 lead with 6.
Miami: Defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor are both thought about leading edge rush potential customers for the upcoming NFL draft. Mesidor has 7 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 actually tossed for 3,323 with 32 TDs and 6 interceptions. The sophomore quarterback is the national 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 teams met 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 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 very best for any active player with a minimum of 5 games. ... Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 yards rushing in the preliminary at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks first or 2nd nationally in 9 different protective categories, including No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a game) and passing yards per game (129.1 ). ... This is Ohio State's 3rd successive Cotton Bowl appearance. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri two years earlier when it wasn't a playoff game. ... Ohio State All-America safety Caleb Downs is set to be the only gamer in the nation to begin in the last three CFPs. He began for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.
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