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 champ Ohio State is trying 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 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 video game. Miami made its CFP launching 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.
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 touchdowns, while Tate has 48 catches for 838 lawns and nine TDs even after missing three video games in November with a leg injury. The Hurricanes have actually allowed only 11 passing TDs - Ohio State is the nationwide leader at 6, and among only 5 groups less. Miami freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald had two interceptions versus 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 potential customers for the upcoming NFL draft. Mesidor has seven sacks and 12 tackles 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 thrown for 3,323 backyards with 32 TDs and 6 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 championship team.
The only other time these groups satisfied 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 since. ... Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, has a 35-5 record as an FBS starter. That.875 winning percentage is the finest for any active gamer with at least five games. ... Miami RB Mark Fletcher Jr. had a career-high 172 backyards entering the very first round at Texas A&M. ... Ohio State ranks first or second nationally in 9 different protective classifications, consisting of No. 1 in scoring (8.2 points a game) and passing backyards per video game (129.1 ). ... This is Ohio State's third successive Cotton Bowl appearance. The Buckeyes lost to Missouri 2 years ago when it wasn't a playoff game. ... Ohio State All-America safety Caleb Downs is set to be the only gamer 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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