Ohio State v Michigan
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Ohio State and Miami have a history when it comes to postseason play. The No. 1 Buckeyes and No. 10 Hurricanes are set for battle in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and will renew a rivalry that developed in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl when Ohio State reigned supreme, controversially, for the BCS national championship.

The painful memory of the double-overtime loss still haunts Hurricanes fans more than two decades after the fact. Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith has seen the discourse from the Miami faithful surrounding that infamous showdown, and it appears to be a point of motivation for the elite wide receiver.

"You see it all over the internet, all over Twitter," Smith said. "They're still talking about that 20 years later. They still worry about it. But we've got something coming for them New Year's Eve."

Smith, a Miami Gardens, Florida, native, figures to be about as in-tune with Miami football discourse as anyone on the Ohio State roster given his deep ties to the region.

Miami entered the 2023 national championship game as a commanding favorite in search of its second title in as many years. It entered the contest on a 34-game winning streak and boasted countless future NFL stars on a roster that produced a third straight Big East championship.

Ohio State built a 10-point lead in the Fiesta Bowl and carried an advantage into the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes clawed back, though, and kicker Todd Sievers drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to knot the score at 17 and force overtime. It was just the second time in BCS, Bowl Alliance or Bowl Coalition history that a game required an additional period.

Controversy struck an already tense championship game in the first overtime session. Down a touchdown, Ohio State needed to find the end zone to keep the game alive. It had already converted on fourth down once in the period, and on a fourth-and-3, a Craig Krenzel pass fell incomplete to seemingly end the game and crown Miami as the national champion. Amid the Hurricanes' celebration, however, an official threw a flag for pass interference that awarded the Buckeyes a first down and another chance to tie the game.

Ohio State scored, forced double overtime and won with a goal-line stand to stun the Hurricanes in a game that effectively altered both program's trajectories.

Miami has yet to come as close to a national title as it was in that 2002 season, while Ohio State added two more to its ledger over the ensuing decades.

The bitter taste of agonizing defeat from that championship game still lingers in the Hurricanes' mouths. They will seek vengeance on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl, this time as a hefty underdog. And while the stakes are lower with this matchup coming in the CFP quarterfinal, Miami would have to feel optimistic about its title chances if it defeats the No. 2 seed Buckeyes. Only two more games would stand between Mario Cristobal's team and the trophy.