Ohio State vs. Miami: Cotton Bowl preview as Hurricanes advance to face Buckeyes in College Football Playoff

Ohio State will begin its national championship defense in the Cotton Bowl against Miami

No. 2 Ohio State will begin its quest for a second consecutive national title in Dec. 31's Cotton Bowl against No. 10 Miami. The Hurricanes secured their spot in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a road victory versus 10-seed Texas A&M in the first round. 

The winner will advance to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Arizona to play No. 3 Georgia, No. 6 Ole Miss or No. 11 Tulane. 

Ohio State and Miami are no strangers to monumental postseason bouts. The Buckeyes and the Hurricanes most notably battled for a national championship in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State captured its only national title of the Jim Tressel era by emerging victorious from a 31-24 double overtime thriller. 

The Buckeyes remain one of college football's hegemons, thanks in large part to their ability to stack talent and develop elite players. They finished the regular season with a 12-0 record and won all but one of those games by at least two possessions before suffering their first setback in the Big Ten Championship Game against top-seeded Indiana. 

Miami, meanwhile, made its College Football Playoff debut with a 10-2 regular season record. Saturday's 10-3 win against Texas A&M gave the Hurricanes their first College Football Playoff/New Year's Six victory and their first 11-win season since 2003. It also snapped an eight-game losing streak versus AP Top 10 teams. 

What to know about Ohio State 

Ohio State looks like it's ready to make another deep playoff run. The Buckeyes are coming off their first loss of the season to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, but there's no doubt that they tout arguably the most talented roster in America. Maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise for a program that has won at least 11 games in each full 12-game season since the start of the Ryan Day era in 2019. While there's star talent on both sides of the ball, Ohio State's defense has hit another level this season. 

That's a horrifying thought for opponents, given how good the Buckeyes have been at squashing offenses in recent years. But new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's NFL philosophy has meshed well on a defense stocked with future NFL talent. The Buckeyes are the only team in America to hold other teams under 10 points per game (they lead the FBS while surrendering just 8.2 points per game) and their 213.5 yards per game also ranks first nationally. 

Having studs like linebacker Arvell Reese, who has played like a top-5 NFL Draft pick, and defensive back Caleb Downs, a perennial All-American that can seemingly patrol the defensive backfield on his own sets the tone. The middle of OSU's defense is also well-stocked with trench monster Kayden McDonald eating space along the line of scrimmage and edge rusher Caden Curry, who is tied for the Big Ten lead with 11 sacks. 

Of course, Ohio State's offense is no slouch. Far from it. The Buckeyes are led by quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist that has completed an FBS-best 78.4% completion percentage (among players with more than 20 attempts on the season). It helps when you can throw the ball to the likes of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith. Tate might be the first wide receiver taken off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft and Smith might be the first player selected, regardless of position, in the draft after that. 

What to know about Miami

Miami enters the quarterfinals as one of the hottest teams in college football. The Hurricanes closed the regular season with four-straight ACC wins, each by double digits, to vault over Notre Dame and snag the last at-large bid as the 10-seed. Miami then proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it belonged in the playoff with its gritty road win against Texas A&M. 

As it has so often this season, Miami won on both sides of the trenches to grind out its first CFP win in program history. Miami's offensive line paved the way for 172 yards rushing on just 17 carries for running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who ripped off a career-high 56-yard rush late in the fourth quarter to put Miami in an ideal position to score its decisive touchdown. The Hurricanes also limited Texas A&M's defensive front to just two sacks. 

By comparison, Miami's defense had seven sacks and nine tackles for loss. Star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who entered Saturday's contest with 4.5 sacks on the season, terrorized Texas A&M's offense by getting to the quarterback three times. He, defensive back Keionte Scott (two) and defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (1.5) all had multiple sacks against the Aggies. 

Miami has built its offensive approach around versatile freshman Malachi Toney, an electric wide receiver that can impact the game in many different ways. He scored Miami's lone touchdown and broke a couple long punt returns against Texas A&M. He finished the regular season with 84 catches for 974 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Odds below via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Cotton Bowl odds, prediction 

There seems to be a pretty wide gap between Ohio State and Indiana and the rest of the field. The Buckeyes and the Hoosiers almost seem destined for a rematch in the College Football Playoff National Championship. There's obviously a long road to get there, but Ohio State shouldn't have much trouble against the Miami team that showed up in the first round. Miami could hold its own in the trenches. That offense that showed up against Texas A&M will not be able to move the ball consistently enough against Ohio State, though. The Buckeyes also have a significant advantage on the outside when they're on offense. Ohio State looks like the more complete team at this point. No first-round bye woes here for the Buckeyes. Pick: Ohio State -9.5