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.
What’s at stake?
Defending national 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 championship game. Miami made its CFP debut 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.
Key matchup
Ohio State receivers All-America sophomore Jeremiah Smith and senior Carnell Tate against the Miami secondary. Smith has 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 yards and nine TDs even after missing three games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have allowed only 11 passing TDs — Ohio State is the national leader at six, and one of only five teams giving up less. Miami freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald had two interceptions against Texas A&M and is tied for the P4 lead with six.
Players to watch
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 tackles for loss. Bain, a second-team AP All-America pick, had three of Miami’s seven sacks in the first-round win over Texas A&M.
Ohio State: Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin has thrown for 3,323 yards with 32 TDs and six 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 team.
Facts & figures
The only other time these teams met in the postseason was in the Fiesta Bowl in January 2003, which was for the national championship. 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 percentage is the best for any active player with at least five 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 second nationally in nine different defensive categories, including No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a game) and passing yards per game (129.1). … This is Ohio State’s third consecutive Cotton Bowl appearance. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri two years ago when it wasn’t a playoff game. … Ohio State All-America safety Caleb Downs is set to be the only player in the country to start in the last three CFPs. He started for Alabama in 2023, and the Buckeyes last season.
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The Associated Press
